Return from the Demons' Lair
by Grettigirl123
Summary: Set after Season 4 Opener. Directly after Dean died and went to Hell, Sam was taken by Lilith and has been held prisoner in a Demons' Lair. Dean has returned, but will he be able to help Sam through his ordeal? tortured,hurt/Sam, protective/Dean no slash
1. Chapter 1

**Return from the Demons' Lair**

_**Set just after Season 4, Episode 1. Dean is back from Hell, but on that fateful day when Dean took his last breath at the claws of the Hell hounds, Sam disappeared along with Lilith. He hasn't been seen since.**_

_**I do not own the rights to Supernatural or any of its characters, nor do I receive compensation. My first Supernatural fic, I hope you enjoy it. **_

Sam had been missing for six months.

There was the initial overwhelming happiness for Bobby on the day that Dean stood on his doorstep, miraculously having been freed from Hell. However, Bobby had no sooner wiped the tears of joy from his eyes when tears of despair filled them again as he had to tell Dean that Sam had disappeared on the day Dean was sent to Hell. Bobby had been searching for a way to rescue Dean, as well as find out where Sam was being held, both with no results.

Ever since then, with the help of Castiel, they had been searching in vain for Sam, each day becoming more and more desperate to bring him home.

It was strongly believed that Lilith had taken him with her, although none of the demons that Dean or Bobby could contact were willing to say for sure, no matter which types of 'persuasions' were used. Lilith had proven to be very powerful, and she was able to hide very effectively.

So here they were, six months into the search, with very little headway.

Dean was slowly but surely adjusting back to life on Earth. The nightmares and flashbacks were just beginning to ease, with the help of Bobby and Castiel. Dean was certain that once Sam was back at home safe, life would once again be okay and he would be able to put this whole ordeal behind him. Until that day arrived, Dean refused to give up the search.

Then came the day when Dean received a message from Castiel that he had finally gotten a break in the case. Castiel had heard from a reliable source that a human fitting Sam's description was being held in a Demons' Lair as a prisoner and slave. Castiel was going to infiltrate the lair and would hopefully be back in touch with Dean soon with news of Sam's rescue. Dean wanted so badly to go with him, but Castiel wouldn't hear of it, saying it would be far too dangerous for all of them if he allowed Dean to accompany him.

Dean had no choice but to wait until he heard further news, and it was absolutely killing him. After what seemed a lifetime, Castiel called.

"Dean, Sam is with me and is alive and conscious." Castiel stated in his usual monotone voice.

Dean gripped the phone with one hand and wiped the sweat from his face with the other, his heart racing in his chest. "Where are you? I need to see him."

"Look, Dean. I know there's probably no hope of this, but I would like a chance to examine him first, before you see him. He's been through a lot and is in rough shape right now. I'd like…"

"No way!" Dean interrupted, "Cas, you know what we've been through, what I've been through, to find him. I need to see him right now! Come get me and bring me to him."

Castiel shook his head, but sighed as he stated "Of course, I'll be right there."

Within moments Castiel was with Dean and Bobby, who were very anxious to get to Sam and see him with their own eyes. Cas was less than excited to bring them to him just yet.

"Now, I need to tell you both some things first." Cas started.

"Cas, I told you…."

"No, listen Dean. I need to tell you both some things, and I need you to both listen to me first. Otherwise, I will not let you come with me. Understood?"

Dean had a look like he was going to kill Cas, but Bobby managed to calm him. After a moment, Dean settled and did his best to remain still and let Cas speak.

"Okay, that's better." Cas continued. "Now, first of all, I have Sam out of the lair and in a very safe place. No demon would ever be able to locate him where I've hidden him, so rest assured he is safe. Secondly, I need to caution you both that Sam has been through an incredibly rough ordeal. He's been used as prisoner and a slave. There is undisputable evidence of extreme physical and mental abuse, and he has several marks on his body that may be alarming when you first see him. He hasn't spoken yet and is very unwilling to make any eye contact. We need to approach him very, and I mean _very_ gently. Please let me make the first communications with him, as I've had some experience with this type of situation before." Cas looked directly at Dean. "Do I have your cooperation so far?"

Dean looked as though he had been kicked in the stomach. Helplessly he looked up at both Cas and Bobby. Bobby's chin dropped to his chest and he shook his head. He then looked up at Dean and nodded to him, prodding him to return the nod to Cas. They really didn't have any other options but to follow Cas' lead on this one.

"Yeah," Dean answered, "You have our cooperation. I'll let you do all the talking at first." He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Cas, how bad is it?"

Cas thought for a moment, "To be honest, I'm not sure yet. I'll know more after I've had a chance to examine him. I did scan him quickly for internal damage, and found none except some broken ribs and a broken collarbone. I can also tell you that he was able to walk on his own, but he was shaky." He sighed briefly and continued. "You should also know that he is wearing a collar, which indicates that as well as a labor slave, he was also used as a…..as what you would call…..a….." Cas was struggling for the right words in this situation.

Dean raised his eyebrows. He couldn't believe he was about to say this. "A sex slave?"

"Y-Yes." Cas stammered as he looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I'm very sorry, Dean. I know this must be very painful for you to hear."

Dean's anger got the better of him as he paced back and forth like a caged animal. He pointed to both Cas and Bobby. "As God as my witness I will find the sons of bitches who did this to him and I will kill them all!" He growled.

Bobby went to Dean and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel, Dean, and when the time comes, I'll be right there with you to hunt them all down and send them straight back to Hell where they belong. But for right now, we have to focus on what's best for Sam and make sure he comes through this alright." He looked Dean in the eyes. "You with me on this?"

Dean took a few very deep breaths before he answered. "Yeah….I'm with you." He looked again at Cas. "Can you please take us to see him now?"

Cas shifted his weight back and forth on his legs. He then exhaled and placed his hands on both Bobby and Dean. "Remember, we approach him gently, and let me make the first contacts with him."

Dean and Bobby both nodded in agreement.

"Very well." Cas stated. A moment later the room was empty.

_**I hope this was easy to follow. My intent was to use a shorter first chapter to set the scene for the second, which will have much more description and information. Please let me know what you think of it so far. **_


	2. Chapter 2

Dean opened his eyes and looked around. He, Bobby and Cas were standing in what appeared to be some sort of narrow hallway. There was a door in front of them, but nothing else. Dean looked at Cas.

"Is Sam here? What is this place?"

Cas nodded toward the door. "Sam is in there." Upon seeing some frustration on Dean's face at again having to wait to see his brother, he further explained. "As I was getting Sam out of the lair, I didn't have time to speak with him or explain that I was there to help him. Obviously my goal was to get him out of there as quickly and as quietly as I could. Unfortunately, as an angel, I cannot teleport a person if they refuse to come with me. I didn't have time to ask permission and I couldn't risk him refusing, so I had to choke him out first before I brought him here."

Dean looked at Cas in amazement. "You choked him out?" He looked back and forth between Bobby and Cas. "So…it's okay instead to render a person unconscious, and then zap them somewhere? That makes absolutely no sense!"

Cas lifted an eyebrow, looked to the floor and nodded slightly. "Yes, I know. It's what you humans would call a 'loophole'. Technically, he didn't say 'no'."

Bobby couldn't help but snicker just a little.

"Either way," Cas continued, "Once he passed out, I brought him here and set him down on a chair. As he was regaining consciousness, I scanned him for any internal injuries. He was quite frightened when he woke up, but I was able to tell him that he had been rescued. I'm not sure if he absorbed any of that information, because he wouldn't look at me and would only stare at the floor. He was visibly shaking and he never spoke a word, and I could tell that I was only making him more agitated, so I decided it would be best if I left him alone for a while to calm down. You also have to remember that Sam has never met me, and he hasn't had any dealings with angels, so there is always the chance that he had mistaken me for another demon. If that's the case, it could take a while for him to trust me at all. Hopefully, when he sees the two of you it will help convince him that he has, in fact, been freed."

Cas again reminded Dean and Bobby how important it was to approach Sam with kid gloves. "I'm going to open the door now. When you go in, try not to have any strong reactions to how Sam looks or how he may respond to us, and please take a seat and let me speak with him first."

Dean could feel his mouth go dry and his throat close up as Cas opened the door. Cas led the way as Bobby and Dean followed.

The room was set up as if it were a conference room. There were padded chairs surrounding a 9X9 square table in the center, with a few blandly scenic pictures on cream colored walls. Seated in one of the padded chairs at the far end of the table was a young man.

Cas slowly approached him and took a seat a few chairs away from him. He motioned for Dean and Bobby to sit across the table from the young man.

Suddenly, Dean couldn't breathe.

"Bobby," he managed to whisper, "That's not him, that's not Sam."

Bobby stared ahead in disbelief. He felt as if his heart had stopped. He forced himself to make eye contact with Dean. "Yes….it is." He whispered back.

Dean stood frozen as he studied the young man…..or maybe it was a boy in his early teens? It couldn't be Sam. Sam was so much bigger, was so much more muscular, and was so much stronger than this person. How could Bobby and Cas even think this was Sam? This person was at least thirty pounds lighter than Sam and looked weak and gaunt.

This boy never moved a muscle as they entered the room. He remained seated perfectly still in his chair with his hands folded on his lap and his head and eyes bowed in a perfect submissive pose.

Dean continued to study him.

He looked as though he had been in a severe accident, or perhaps had been hit by a truck.

His eyes were dazed and unfocused. His left eyelid was purple and black and swollen shut. He also had a huge gash on the left side of his face, and both his upper and lower lip was dry, swollen and split open. His left ear had a blood trail coming from it down to his neck. There was also a blood trail from his nose to his chin.

His neck had what appeared to be either bite marks or burn marks on it that followed a path to his shoulders, which were slumped so badly forward that it resembled a deformity.

He had deep gouges encircling both wrists which were obvious signs of restraint. His hands and knuckles had severe bruising and cuts on them, and his fingernails were worn down to the quicks.

For clothing he had a slate grey colored work shirt which barely hung over his shoulders, and a pair of drawstring pants which matched the color of his shirt. Both were filthy, bloodstained and torn.

His hair was touching his shoulders, and hung limply in his eyes and face. There was dried blood caked slightly in some spots of his head where he had been beaten in the past.

His feet were bare, and there were gouges around his ankles that resembled the ones on his wrists.

His breathing seemed a little labored. Dean suddenly remembered Cas saying something earlier about broken ribs.

There was one item that Dean could not stop staring at. The one item among all the cuts, bruises, and broken pieces of this person that made Dean feel the most nauseous.

Around his neck there was a two inch wide, one half inch thick stainless steel band that had only one seam in the front, which was secured closed with a padlock. It was very tight on his neck and Dean could see the scarring and bruising that had formed underneath it.

Bobby nudged Dean and appeared to bring him out of his hypnotic state as he stared at the sight in front of him. Very slowly, a look of pure horror poured over Dean's face as the realization finally hit him.

Sam.

Holy Christ, it really was Sam!

Bobby took Dean's arm and pulled him down gently to his seat. Dean felt a bit of relief that there was a chair behind him, because his legs were just about to give out.

Cas looked back at Dean and Bobby, silently asking if they were ready to begin. Bobby nodded. It was all Dean could do to continue to breathe. He managed to bring his head forward in one quick nod, and swallowed hard.

Cas turned to Sam. Very softly, he said Sam's name. Not surprisingly, Cas got no response.

Cas got up very slowly from the table. He collected a pitcher of water and a glass, as well as a small white hand towel from a beverage cart in a corner of the room and brought them back to the table.

"Sam? Would you like a glass of water?"

No response. Cas poured him a glass anyway and placed it in front of him. Sam never acknowledged it.

Undaunted, Cas continued. "Sam, my name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord, and I was the one who took you from the Demons' Lair and brought you here. Do you remember that? I'm very sorry about the way I brought you here, but please know that my intentions were good, and know that you are safe here with us."

Sam continued to stare at the floor.

Dean was beginning to think that maybe Sam had been hit so many times in the head that he had lost his hearing.

Almost as if Cas could read Dean's mind, he answered. "He can hear me. I can hear his pulse quicken each time he hears my voice."

Bobby raised his eyebrows and gave a quick glance at Dean. Dean gave a little 'Don't ask me' look back at Bobby.

Cas then took a handful of ice cubes from the water pitcher and placed them in the towel. He then slowly approached Sam, talking to him with every step.

"Okay, Sam. Please don't be afraid. I'm going to touch you now, but I promise I will not hurt you." He raised the towel and made very exaggerated movements as he reached for Sam's face, all the while moving as if he were approaching a frightened animal. "That's it, Sam. You're doing great. It's going to be alright."

For the first time, Sam moved his eyes, slightly sideways then back down again. Upon seeing how close Cas was to him and realizing he was about to be touched, his body constricted a little, as if bracing himself for pain. He shut his eyes tight.

Cas stopped for a moment. He once again tried to ease Sam out of his slightly panicked state. "It's okay, Sam. You can open your eyes. I won't hurt you. You're safe, remember? Please open your eyes."

Sam heard what he thought to be an order, so he obediently opened his eyes as best he could with the damage to his left eye. He remained motionless as Cas brought the towel with ice to the left side of Sam's face, gently pressing it against his skin. Sam remained frozen for a few more moments, then slowly began to relax a bit. He exhaled a little and closed his eye again, but this time it was in relief as the cool towel felt good against the painful gash on his face.

A thin smile crossed Cas' face, and he peered over to Dean and Bobby.

"There, that feels better, doesn't it?"

After a moment, Sam opened his eye again, but he continued to stare at the floor.

Cas held the towel in place as he approached a new subject with Sam.

"Sam, do you see the other people in the room with me?"

Sam's body tensed again as he heard the question. He remained silent and never looked up.

"I need you to look at them, Sam. Just a little peek will be okay, but I do need you to see who they are. Can you do that for me now?"

Sam blinked a few times, then quickly brought his eyes up to Bobby and Dean and immediately brought them back down again.

Dean studied Sam carefully, fully expecting a reaction from Sam upon seeing him. He was momentarily devastated when he got nothing.

A concerned look spread across Cas' face. Evidently he also expected a reaction from Sam.

"Sam," Cas questioned. "Did you see who those men were? Remember, I need an answer, please."

Sam began to shake slightly. His eyes began to dart back and forth, as if contemplating his next move. Sam then took a slight breath in and in a barely audible voice meekly answered "….Yes, Sir." His lips barely moved.

Cas, Bobby and Dean all sat up a little straighter upon hearing Sam's voice, even as quiet as it was. Cas raised his hand up to Bobby and Dean, as if to stop them from doing or saying anything.

"That's very good, Sam. Thank you. Now, do you know who those men are?"

Suddenly, Sam's face became a little darker. His eye narrowed just a little bit and his breathing just a tad more rapid. The question had agitated him. He almost looked restless.

Cas removed the towel from Sam's face. He noticed the change in Sam's demeanor and thought he might relax again if Cas moved a little bit away from him. "Sam?"

Sam moved his line of vision from the floor to the edge of the table. Again, barely a whisper, he answered.

"I know who they're supposed to be." His voice was incredibly shaky, and it was hard for Dean to tell if it was from fear…or rage.

Cas continued with extreme caution. "It's okay, Sam. You're doing a great job. Remember, you are very safe. No one is going to hurt you. Now, who are they supposed to be?"

Answering appeared to be getting a little easier. "Bobby….and…..and…"

Cas prodded. "And who, Sam?"

"My brother. My brother, Dean."

The dazed look now flooded completely over Sam's face. He looked incredibly exhausted, as if speaking had taken everything out of him.

Cas looked back to Dean and Bobby. Something here wasn't making any sense. If Sam had recognized them, why did he still have no reaction? And what did he mean by 'supposed to be'? He turned back to Sam once more.

"Are you happy to see them, Sam?" He asked.

Sam closed his eyes again. A small sound escaped his throat, and a tear fell down his cheek. His shoulders shook.

Taking a deep breath, Sam answered cold and steadily, but still not above a whisper.

"I would be very happy to see them, if they were real." Sam then chanced a quick glance up into Cas' eyes. "My brother is dead. He died right in front of me. I'm not falling for your tricks again."

_**I know I said in the description that it would be a 'slightly' hurt Sam, and that wasn't completely true. However, because they see each other beaten up and bloody all the time, I needed Sam's injuries to be a bit over the top so that Dean wouldn't recognize him at first.**_

_**Don't worry though, Sam's tough. He'll be okay. **_

_**Thank you for the kind reviews so far. Please continue to let me know how I'm doing. I'm new to Supernatural and hope I'm doing the series justice. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**First I'd like to thank everyone for the kind reviews so far. I've had a couple of questions asked and wanted to take a moment to try to clarify.**_

_**Sam does recognize Bobby and Dean at this point….he just doesn't believe that they are real, so he's not showing any reaction just yet. **_

_**Also, I didn't have Cas heal Sam's wounds because I thought that Cas didn't receive healing powers on humans until he came back to life after being killed by Lucifer in 5X22, Swan Song. Now, I could be wrong about this, but I've wracked my brain and can't think of any time before then that Cas had (or at least used) healing powers. When he came back to life in that episode, he said to Dean that he was even better than before, and then he healed both Dean and Bobby, and used healing powers going forward from there. If I'm wrong about this (and I could very well be) then I apologize and will just have to play Cas as OOC as far as having healing powers. Either way, unfortunately, in my story he doesn't have them.**_

_**I'm taking this chapter to give a little background of what has been happening to Sam these past months. Bear with me, it may come across as a little dark.**_

Sam returned his gaze to the floor as he had been trained to do. The 'no eye contact' order had been well beaten into him by his third month of captivity. Sam had lost track of time not long after that, and now couldn't even begin to guess how long it had been since he had tasted freedom.

When initially captured, he had fought hard against the demons that were holding him in the caves. He had even taken a few of them down, thanks to the military combat training he had been forced to endure his entire childhood.

However, he soon realized that winning wasn't going to be an option for him. There were just too many of them, and he was all alone in his fight. Inevitably, he would have to resort to trying to keep himself alive and trying his best to keep his sanity intact.

There were other human prisoners down in the caves with him, at least he believed they were human at one time. Sam wasn't sure how long they had been down in the caves, but he guessed that they had been there far longer than he had. From what he saw of them, they were just empty shells. Slaves, there for the sole purpose of serving the demons, in whichever way they wished.

Beatings were held on a regular basis, just to be sure the slaves remembered who their masters were, and to be sure they were kept weak enough not to try to rise up against them.

Slaves were fed once every other day, and mealtime for Sam was nothing to look forward to, no matter how hungry he became.

The demons would collect their garbage and table scraps in a barrel, then at feeding time a demon would enter the slaves' quarters and dump the contents of the barrel on the ground, and the slaves would fight each other for the scraps. It was truly disgusting, and Sam's stomach would turn each time he watched the scene. Usually there wasn't anything offered worth fighting for, and it would only be after the fight was over that Sam would go to see if there was anything left. Every now and then he was lucky enough to find some bread or chicken bones to taste… at least he hoped it was chicken.

The lack of food quickly drained away Sam's strength, which made him less effective as a worker, which usually resulting in a beating.

After a few months of captivity, Sam was fitted with a steel collar around his neck. He quickly learned what this indicated, as it wasn't long after that when he was brought to another section of the lair and was used by several different demons. The experience was something that Sam forced himself to block from his mind. The only positive thing that came from this was afterward, if he had pleased them, he would be rewarded with either a small meal or some soap and water. Ultimately, those small rewards became a lifeline for Sam, so he decided to endure the abuse that came with it to obtain them.

Sam found his solace late at night, when the demons and other prisoners were sleeping. It was a time for Sam to reflect, a time to regain his mental composure, and most of all, a time to grieve.

Because he had been captured directly after Dean's death, he hadn't had any time to mourn the loss of his brother. Late at night, when it was quiet and somewhat tranquil was when Sam allowed the walls to come down a bit and let the tears fall. Sam had quickly taught himself how to cry with no sound, and he would spend those nights thinking about the life he once had with Dean, with Bobby, and how he would give anything to have it all back. The release of tears and sorrow would offer him a small amount of comfort.

Oddly enough, it wasn't the physical beatings or sexual abuse that Sam feared the most. Sam found he had a rather high tolerance for cruelty and was able to endure them well enough.

It was the psychological torture that Sam struggled with the most.

Demons were proficiently trained at mental cruelty. They were experts at lying and deceiving, and would spend hours torturing their victims with their own deepest fears and weaknesses. Once a demon entered its victim's mind, the torture possibilities were endless.

Only there was one thing that Sam had that the other prisoners didn't.

Sam had his tattoo.

Because of the tattoo on Sam's chest, the demons couldn't enter his body or his mind. They also couldn't touch or remove it from him. Sam thanked God every day that Dean had convinced him to get it, as it turned out to be an absolute lifesaver for him.

Of course the demons hated the fact that Sam had this, and tried time and time again to force Sam to cut the tattoo or burn it, but no matter what the demons did to him, Sam refused to do anything that would deface it. Sam told them straight up that he would gladly die first.

Only the demons had orders from a higher power that Sam was to be kept alive at all costs.

The only weakness that the demons knew of that Sam had was Dean. Lilith, Meg and several other demons knew of Sam and Dean's close bond and it was common knowledge that Dean had been killed and sent to Hell because of a deal he had made for Sam.

The demons reveled in telling Sam over and over again that Dean was suffering in Hell for him. They would sometimes force Sam to listen to screams for hours that they claimed were Dean's. These would be the types of torture that Sam couldn't tolerate for long before he would collapse and begin to scream and cry out in agony, begging for mercy.

Some days, they would tell Sam that Dean had found a way out of Hell and was looking for him. One day in particular they made a deal with a shapeshifter and had told Sam that he was being released. Sam was led out a doorway and saw who he believed was Dean on the other side. Sam was elated and ran to Dean, embracing him as tears of joy streamed down his cheeks. Soon after, he was told the truth as the demons all stood around him, laughing and sneering.

The devastation that hit Sam was mind shattering. It was by far the cruelest torture they had ever used on him, and it would prove to be very damaging to Sam's mental state. Soon after that, Sam turned inward and began to shut down. He no longer cared what happened to him. He had held on as best he could to his sanity, but he couldn't withstand this abuse any longer.

He had finally been defeated.

And now he found himself seated in a room with a demon who claimed to be an angel, of all things, and that he had once again been freed. And lo and behold, there was Dean again, along with Bobby this time. And they want to know if he is happy to see them.

Although, the forcing him to speak and make eye contact was a new twist. He would normally _NEVER _be allowed to speak or look them in the eyes. A slave's eyes were _ALWAYS _to be down, he knew this all too well by now.

He wondered what they were up now.

One thing he knew for sure, they weren't going to get the better of him this time. His heart just couldn't take it again.

_**Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please let me know what you think. **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Again, I do not own any rights or make any money for this. **_

_**(I recapped a few of the last lines from Chapter 2.)**_

"Are you happy to see them, Sam?" Cas asked.

Sam closed his eyes again. A small sound escaped his throat, and a tear fell down his cheek. His shoulders shook.

Taking a deep breath, Sam answered cold and steadily, but still not above a whisper.

"I would be very happy to see them, if they were real." Sam then chanced a quick glance up into Cas' eyes. "My brother is dead. He died right in front of me. I'm not falling for your tricks again."

After saying this, Sam bowed his head once again and closed his eyes tights. Tears began to stream down his cheeks, but he never made a sound. Dean looked helplessly at Cas.

"Tricks? What's he talking about?"

Cas walked over to where Dean and Bobby were sitting. "Evidently, the demons have used this type of scenario before to convince Sam that you were alive and he had been freed, as a form of torture for him. I wish I'd had this piece of information going into this, I would have tried a different approach." He looked back toward Sam, "I really don't feel good about the body language he's using right now. I fear we may be losing him, mentally, I mean."

"Well, you're the one who's supposed to have had all the experience with this…get him back!" Dean snapped.

Cas approached Sam again. He had a good idea what was about to happen, but he tried anyway.

"Sam…."

Upon hearing his name, Sam brought his body down to his knees and brought his hands up to his head, as if curling up into a ball. He rocked back and forth as if trying to console himself.

"No, no, no, no, no, no….." Sam said softly over and over as he attempted to block out everyone and everything around him.

Dean stood up and went to Sam's side. Cas grabbed his elbow before he could reach out to Sam.

"Don't touch him, Dean. Trust me, he's not ready for physical contact right now. It could have disastrous results."

Dean knelt down beside Sam, careful not to touch him. "Sammy? Sammy talk to us, what's wrong? How can we help you?"

Hearing Dean's voice caused Sam to rock more violently and begin to shout.

"NO! NO! NO!"

Bobby turned to Cas. "Do something already!" He ordered. "By the looks of things Sam's about to stroke out on us!"

Cas looked back at Sam, studied him for a moment, but then shook his head.

"No, he won't stroke out. His vitals are elevated, but not to the levels it would take for a person to have a stroke. His blood pressure is 145 over 90, and pulse is 125, but his heart rate is still within a safe range, considering all he's been through. His body temperature is 101 degrees, but I don't think that has anything to do with what's happening to him at this moment, it's most likely because he's badly dehydrated. His breathing is sporadic and labored a bit, but that's because of the two broken ribs he has on his right side and it hurts him to take deep breaths….. "

Suddenly, Sam froze and fell silent, almost as if listening to what Cas was saying.

Everyone stood very still and quiet while they waited to see what Sam would do next.

After a moment, Sam uncovered his head with his hands and very cautiously looked up at Cas. He stared at him intently with a look of shock and confusion on his face.

Cas stared back at Sam for a little bit, then questioned. "What is it, Sam?"

Dean looked back and forth between Sam and Cas. He thought back to what Cas was saying right before Sam stopped and tried to find the connection. All of a sudden, like a switch had been flipped, it came to him.

Very slowly and carefully, Dean explained.

"I think Sam is wondering how you could tell all that about him. He's wondering how you knew exactly how his body was reacting and what his vitals were." He again looked at Sam. "Isn't that right, Sam?"

Sam's eyes darted back to Dean just for a second, then went right back to Cas. He continued to stare.

Cas also gave a confused look, then answered as if speaking to Dean. "I was scanning him. That's how I knew what his counts were….why does that matter?"

Dean gave a small but knowing smile. "It matters because of these." He pulled back his shirt collar, exposing the tattoo on his chest. "This tattoo makes it so demons cannot possess me, get inside my body or head, and also makes it so they can't see or read inside me either. And Sam has one just like it, don't you, Sam?"

Sam shot another quick glance at Dean. He gave a sharp nod and seemed to gasp a bit at the same time. He again turned his head to Cas.

"H-how are you doing that?" Sam asked, barely above a whisper.

Cas sat down next to Sam. "I can do these things because I am not a demon, I'm an angel of the Lord, just like I said before. I was the one who rescued Dean from Hell, and today, after searching for you for two months, I found and rescued you."

Dean continued to try to reason with Sam.

"What do you think I am, Sam, a Shapeshifter?" He asked as he dug into his pocket for his cell phone. "Okay, so if I were a Shapeshifter and I had my picture taken….." Dean pointed the cell phone at his face and clicked the camera button. "My eyes would be glowing, right?" He looked at the picture he had just snapped of himself and then showed it to Sam. "Look, Sammy. Normal eyes. I'm not a Shapeshifter."

Sam surveyed the picture, then his eyes returned to the floor, but this time they had an inquisitive look about them. His brow was furrowed deep in thought as he tried to make sense of this whole situation. However, the pounding in his head and pain searing through most of his body made it difficult for him to concentrate on anything.

Dean smiled as he'd seen Sam do this type of thinking several times before. "That's it Sammy. Think it through. You know there's no way we could be doing any of this if we were demons. Just keep thinking about it. You'll find the answer. You always find the answer. You're the college boy, remember Sammy?"

Sam shook his head as he dismissed the information. "No." He answered. "It doesn't matter how you're doing it. I don't care. It's not real."

Reaching the peak of his frustration, Dean reached out with both hands and grabbed Sam by his forearms, giving him a quick shake. "No you don't! Don't you dare take a step backward with this. It's me, Sam. It's really me."

Fully believing he was about to be beaten, Sam quickly dropped to the floor and tucked in his head. "I'm sorry!" he cried out. "It won't happen again, Sir. I promise."

Dean let go of Sam, and again turned to Cas, leaving Sam on the floor for a moment.

"Okay, none of this seems to be working. Anyone else got any ideas?"

Bobby, who had been observing most of this, quickly spoke up. "Let's take him out of here and bring him back to my place. I think the familiar surroundings will do him a ton of good. Maybe he'll begin to relax and think things through and start to trust us. Either way, it couldn't hurt."

Cas nodded. "I agree." He waved Bobby over to them as he held out his arms, ready to teleport everyone out of there.

Dean put his hand up. "Wait! First I need you to do something for me, Cas." He knelt back down next to Sam and carefully sat him back up. Surprisingly, Sam didn't resist.

Pointing to the collar around Sam's neck, "Could you please take this damned thing off of him? It makes me sick every time I see it."

Cas nodded his head. "Of course." He answered.

Cas reached down to Sam and touched the padlock on the front of his collar. In a moment's time, the padlock crushed between his fingers, unlocking the collar.

Dean touched either side of the collar and slowly pulled it away from Sam's throat, breaking the collar in half. It had been on Sam for so long, it had begun to embed itself in his skin. Sam hissed a little at the initial pain, but once it was removed he sighed in relief.

Sam looked up at Dean and Cas, completely flabbergasted by what had just taken place. He knew that the collar was the demons' symbol of dominance over him, and he couldn't imagine any scenario where they would destroy it, under any circumstances.

Perhaps he was wrong about this. Perhaps they _had_ been telling the truth. Could it be possible that this was, in fact, real? Sam wanted so badly to believe it. He just didn't know if he could bring himself to do that just yet.

Dean touched around the inflamed and raw skin on Sam's throat. He looked at Sam with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, kid. I would give anything if this hadn't happened to you."

For the first time, Sam looked deep into Dean's eyes. He saw the pain they held. He saw the hurt, fear, agony, and compassion.

And now, finally, he saw the love.

"Dean?" he whispered, a confused squint covered his face.

Dean smiled and took Sam into a gentle hug and then carefully brought him to his feet. He wrapped his arm tight around Sam's waist, helping to support him.

"Let's go home, Sammy."

_**I struggled with this chapter, for some reason. I just had a hard time piecing it together. I hope it doesn't disappoint…..Please let me know what you thought, and thank you for taking the time to read it. **_


	5. Chapter 5

Instantaneously, they all arrived back at Bobby's house. Almost as instantly, Sam's legs gave out on him, leaving Dean to suddenly support all of Sam's weight.

"Bobby," Dean cried out, "Come here quick and help me get him to the couch."

Bobby and Dean carefully set Sam down, easing him back against the cushions.

Sam stared at his surroundings as if he'd never seen the place before, his face continued to hold what looked like a mixture of shock and panic.

Dean pulled up a chair next to Sam. "Recognize the place, Sam?" He asked.

Sam didn't respond at first, he just continued to look all around the room. He stared at every picture, book on the bookshelves, every light fixture…almost as if trying to commit the whole scene to memory. After a moment, Sam nodded slowly, then turned his gaze back to the floor. He took a few deep but labored breaths as if trying to calm himself, but suddenly his breathing became very irregular, and his whole body began to shake uncontrollably.

"Are you cold, Sam?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head, but his body continued to tremble.

Dean placed his hand on Sam's head. "He's warm, but he shouldn't be doing this….." he said as he looked over his shoulder at Bobby and Cas. "What's going on with him now?"

Cas studied Sam for a moment. "It seems as though his nerves are getting the best of him. Get him a blanket and some water, room temperature. That should help. He just needs some time to calm down. He'll adjust at his own pace. Be patient with him." Cas then looked to Dean and Bobby. "I have some unfinished business to take care of. You should all be okay for a while, right?"

Bobby turned his attention to Cas while Dean went to get a blanket and water for Sam.

"You gonna go back to the lair?" Bobby asked.

"Not alone." Replied Cas, "I'm going to get some help first, then we're going back."

Dean was returning to the room as he overheard Cas' answer. "I'm going with you." He announced.

"No you're not. Sam needs you much more than I do. We'll take care of it. I'll be back in the morning to see how it's going here." With that, Cas disappeared.

Dean was about to protest to Bobby, when a groan from Sam brought his attention back. Sam was now rocking slightly on the couch with his arms crossed tightly in front of him, his teeth were chattering violently as if he were freezing to death.

Dean wrapped a heavy blanket around Sam's shoulders and tried to get him to take a sip of the water. Sam saw the cup and shook his head at it.

"C'mon Sammy. Just try to take a sip."

Sam shook his head again. He was shaking so badly that he wouldn't have been able to swallow it anyway. His mind couldn't wrap itself around what had taken place today. He tried in vain to get his breathing and shuddering under control, but it was no use. He focused, instead on the warmth and softness of the blanket draped over his shoulders, his fingers rubbed over the material. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt anything so soft. He just wanted to melt within it.

Bobby and Dean observed Sam. He was still shaking pretty badly, but it didn't seem to be getting any worse. After a moment, Bobby made a decision.

"I'm gonna head out for a little bit and get some more first aid supplies and food for Sam in the house."

"Food for Sam?" Dean questioned.

Bobby sighed as he reached for the key hook. "The way I figure it, and from the shape Sam's in, it doesn't appear he's eaten anything substantial for quite some time. When we feed him, it'll have to be foods that are really easy to digest. Right now a cheeseburger would probably kill him. I don't have gentle foods like that in the house, so I'm gonna go get some." He smiled weakly at Dean. "You think you two will be okay here while I'm gone?"

"Yeah," Dean answered. "I'm gonna let him calm down a bit, then I'm gonna try to get a good look at him and see what type of wounds we're dealing with. That is, if I can get close enough to him without upsetting him." He exhaled sharply as he looked back at Sam. "I'd really like to get him in the tub for a bath. His skin is filthy and covered with sores and blood. Whatever wounds he does have are probably infected or close to it."

"Well, see what you can do, but make sure he's ready for it. If you can get him in the tub, don't use any soap just yet. It would only burn his raw skin. Just some mildly warm water to get some of the dirt and blood off from him. Also keep in mind his head's not in a good place right now. He looks like he's damned near in shock. Don't push him."

Bobby grabbed his jacket and headed out the door as Dean assured him that he knew how to handle the situation. As Bobby stood in the doorway, he looked back in the living room as Sam sat there, still rocking and shivering under the blanket.

"Who would have thought when we woke up this morning that Sam would be sitting there on the couch tonight." His eyes teared up a bit. "Even in the rough shape he's in, it sure is good to see him again."

Dean looked at Sam and managed a thin smile "I know what you mean, Bobby. It's just…."

Bobby clapped his hand on Dean's shoulder. "We'll get him through this, we'll get us all through this. It'll just take some time." He turned and closed the door behind him.

It would be almost two hours later when Bobby returned home, carrying four shopping bags. He found Dean sitting at the kitchen table, a hot cup of coffee in one hand, the other hand cradling his head. Bobby set the bags on the countertop and joined Dean at the table. He looked at the unoccupied couch in the living room.

"Where's Sam?"

Without looking up, Dean answered. "He's lying down in the spare bedroom."

"How did it go here while I was gone?"

Dean looked up and exhaled deeply. "It went good, I guess. Sam did great, he really did. It only took him about fifteen minutes until he calmed down enough for me to approach him again, and when I did he cooperated fully with me. I was even able to convince him to let me help him get cleaned up." He took another sip of his coffee. "Shocked the Hell out of me, but he let me."

"Well, that's good, right?" Bobby continued, "So why do you seem so upset right now?"

Dean rose and got another cup for Bobby. He shook his head and fought back the tears as he poured some coffee and offered it to the elder hunter and took his seat again.

"He's a mess, Bobby. He's an absolute mess. There's not a spot on him that hasn't been beaten. When I took off his shirt, I saw whip marks going across his back. His stomach has huge bruises on it and he's got either claw marks or knife marks going across his chest. It was so hard to help him 'cuz there wasn't a place on his body I could touch him where it wouldn't hurt. There was so much blood and dirt on him, I had to drain the tub twice. The water had turned to a rust color."

Bobby bowed his head and closed his eyes in anger and pain as he listened to Dean.

"And he's so thin." Dean continued. "His ribs, shoulder blades and hip bones stick out now. It's like they took every ounce of strength from him, and you know what good shape Sam was in. He was strong as an ox. Now, he can barely walk. "

Somehow Dean couldn't help himself but smile. "Although, he's still plenty tough enough. He managed to climb in the tub and wash himself up, wouldn't let me help with that part. It was like he was trying to prove to me that he wasn't helpless, he could still do some things for himself. I did help him wash his hair though. His arms didn't quite have the strength for him to hold them over his head for that long….and I helped him get out of the tub, but otherwise, he managed okay on his own."

Bobby smiled as he pictured the scene. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

"He's also back to not talking or making eye contact again. When I do catch him stealing glances at me, it's like he doesn't trust me. I hope that part's over soon."

Bobby's tone took a slight turn upon hearing that. "Yeah, I know." He began as he looked at the clock. "It's been, what? Three hours since he's been rescued, and he's STILL not over the habits that've been drilled into his head for the past six months? C'mon, Dean. Hell, it took me two full weeks after you came back to accept it was real, and that was under normal circumstances."

Dean looked up at Bobby with a hurt expression on his face at first, but then sighed and nodded his head.

Bobby placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. "You've gotta give him time, Dean. I know patience ain't your thing, but you've really got to give him a lot of space and support with this. It might be one step forward and two steps back for a while, but soon enough he'll start to make some headway with this and he'll eventually come back to us."

Dean nodded again. "Hell, when you put it that way, he's already come a long way with just letting me touch him and help him. It's just so unfair, you know? At least with me, I got a pain free body and a wiped up memory when I returned. I just wish I could take it all away for Sam."

Bobby watched him as they both took a sip of their coffee. "Well, I wish we could, too, but we can't, son. We'll just have to do the next best thing." Getting off the topic a bit, "So, is Sam sleeping?"

"I hope so. He's so exhausted. Once he falls asleep, he'll probably stay that way for a week."

Bobby got up and went to the bags on the countertop. "Actually," He said as he pulled a bottle out, "See if you can rouse him enough to give him a few sips of this. We're gonna need to get him started on some antibiotics and pain meds right away, and to tolerate the meds in his system, he's gonna need to start eating and drinking a bit."

Dean looked at the bottle as Bobby handed it to him with a cup.

"Pedialite?"

"Yeah, it's what they give babies when they have the flu. It's full of electrolytes….like Gatorade without the sweeteners and artificial colors. It'll help him."

Dean peeked through the bedroom door and was surprised when he saw Sam sitting up against the pillows, looking around the room.

"You're still awake? I figured you'd be out by now." Dean said as he entered the room.

As expected, Sam gave a quick glance at Dean, and then turned his eyes downward. He held a piece of the sheet and was rubbing it softly between his fingers.

Dean noticed this as he sat down next to him on the bed.

"Nice fresh sheets feel good, don't they?" Dean remarked.

It almost made Sam appear to smile, almost, but not quite.

Getting down to business, Dean offered Sam the cup. Sam looked up slightly, but shook his head.

"Sam, I want you to take a few sips of this…..water. You're really dehydrated and you need to drink it. I'm afraid I have to insist this time. C'mon. You can do it. It won't hurt you, I promise."

Sam swallowed hard and a look of fear spread across his face, but after a moment, he did take the cup and bring it to his mouth. Dean watched as Sam began to swallow a few sips. Dean expected Sam to stop after that, but once the liquid passed his lips Sam began to gulp at it, finishing the whole cupful.

Dean smiled. "That's great, Sam. Good job." He took the cup away. "Now, I want you to lie back and close your eyes. You need to sleep and regain some of your strength."

Dean went into the adjoining bathroom and got a towel and cold water. He soaked the towel and placed it over Sam's forehead and swollen eye. Sam flinched a bit, but allowed Dean to do it.

"Keep that on for a while. It'll help with the fever and swelling." Dean got up from the bed and turned the light off. "Good night, Sam, and try to get some rest."

As Sam watched Dean walk away, he became restless. It made Dean stop and turn back toward him. Sam's breathing became a little rapid and his eyes were darting back and forth. It was apparent he wanted to say something, but didn't quite dare to.

Dean returned to Sam's side. "What is it, Sam? Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Sam took a deep breath.

"Dark…..I don't like dark." He blurted out.

Dean quickly got up and turned the light back on. "No problem, Sammy. You can keep the light on. Is that better?"

Sam nodded. "I….I can't close my eyes."

Dean's eyes squinted a little in concern. "You can't close your eyes? How come? Does it hurt?"

Sam shook his head. "I'm…. scared to."

Dean put his hand over Sam's. "Are you scared that they'll come looking for you?"

Sam raised his eyebrows a bit, as if he hadn't thought about that, then shook his head.

"Then what?"

"Scared this is a dream." Sam looked down at the sheets on his bed as he continued to rub them between his fingers. "If I sleep, this'll all go away and I'll be back…..there."

Sam's words were like a kick in Dean's stomach.

"Yeah, I know. It's been a Hell of a day, huh? It just doesn't seem real….but it is. I promise. I tell you what." Dean said as he pulled an easy chair up next to the bed. "I'm gonna crash right here next to you in this chair, so if you wake up in the night you'll see me and know that this is real. Okay?"

Sam again raised his eyebrows, and then nodded again.

"Okay, Sam. Now I'll be right here with you. Close your eyes and get some sleep."

Sam laid his head back against the pillows, took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. It was as if someone hit the 'off' button, and Sam was out cold.

Dean sat there and watched Sam as he slept. He wasn't sure if his being in the room with Sam was helping Sam, or helping him. Listening to Sam's breathing was hypnotic to Dean, and it worked like a tranquilizer dart. Within minutes, Dean was out cold too.

_**This chapter was a bit longer, as I had a lot of ground to cover with finishing this day in the story. In the next chapter, I plan to have two weeks passed since Sam's rescue. I'm anxious to have Sam back on his feet a bit and see the progress he's made.**_

_**Thanks again for the kind reviews and for taking the time to read this. Please continue to let me know what you think. The comments and questions have been great!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**This chapter has Sam feeling a little stronger as some time has elapsed since his rescue. I enjoyed writing the 'hurt Sam' part, but I think I took that as far as I wanted to and now wanted to try some stronger conversations between Sam and Dean. I'm new to Supernatural….this is my first SPN fic, so I really hope I got the dynamics between them at least kind of close. Even attempted some awkward humor….. I just hope it doesn't suck! (As Dean might say.) **_

_**I own nothing and make no profit. **_

Over the course of the next few weeks, Sam's days would basically consist of sleeping, drinking, eating some very light meals, and taking medicines. He would also be allowed to get up a few times during the day and walk around the house, with some help, to keep his muscles working. The pain medication and antibiotics proved to be a Godsend for Sam and within a few days he was able to rest more comfortably.

Castiel had returned the next day as promised, although the news he delivered was not good. By the time he had returned to the lair, it had been abandoned. News had spread quickly throughout the lair about Sam Winchester's rescue, and the demons had fled. This news made Dean and Bobby very nervous and they wasted no time in making Bobby's house as demon proof as possible, but of course nothing is ever one hundred percent guaranteed.

Dean spent a great deal of time seated next to Sam, whether it was at his bedside or beside him on the days when Sam felt well enough to lie down on the couch. Dean made sure that Sam continued to make progress and grow stronger each day, physically as well as mentally.

Nightmares had become an issue. Sam rarely made it through an entire night without waking the house up by screaming or hollering out. Dean would always rush to Sam's bedside and would usually find Sam sitting up in bed, frantically looking around the room, his breathing rapid and his hair soaked with sweat. Eventually, Sam began to gain some control and would be able to calm himself down afterward and fall back to sleep.

Sudden movements and loud noises were also issues that Sam was still trying to overcome. Dean had dropped a glass on the tile floor in the kitchen once, and the sound of it breaking mixed with Dean hollering out had driven Sam to a curled up position on the floor. Dean apologized over and over to Sam, and Sam had acted much more upset with himself for reacting that way than with Dean for causing the unexpected commotion.

As much as he didn't like sharing feelings, Dean kept Sam talking. It didn't matter if the conversation was about sports, movies or current events, as long as the communication lines were kept open, Dean was happy. After a while, Sam's speaking became much more relaxed and Dean could see glimpses of the old Sam slowly returning, although they were still working on making eye contact.

Sam seemed intrigued by Castiel, and what he had claimed to be.

"So, he truly is an angel then, huh?" Sam questioned.

"Yep. He's the real thing." Dean assured him.

Sam raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "Wow," he remarked. "I know this sounds horrible, but I didn't know there was such a thing."

"Yeah, me neither. Crazy how we'd accepted that there really was a Hell, but no so much a Heaven. But….Sam, look at me…that's better…..when Cas showed up, he assured me that there really was such a place."

Sam shrugged. "Huh. So, he's actually _met_ God?"

Dean smirked a bit. "Well, he hasn't come right out and said whether he has or hasn't, but he's got a very strong belief that he's out there…somewhere."

Sam stared off for a few moments, deep in thought. "That's pretty amazing, when you think about it. That we actually know an angel, you especially, and are close to one."

Dean smiled. "Yeah, you would think so. But let me tell ya. It wasn't love at first sight by any means. In fact, when I first met him, I thought he was a dick."

Sam gave look of shock. "A dick?"

"Yep. And I was right, he was being a dick. Had this holier than thou attitude about him."

"Dean, he's an angel…of course he had a holier than thou attitude. He _is_ holier than thou."

"Yeah, I guess." Dean said with a wince. "But he didn't have to act like it so much."

Eventually, Sam began to ask Dean about his time in Hell. At this time Dean did have some memories of his imprisonment there, but only bits and pieces. Dean couldn't elaborate on any details of Hell to Sam, but he did open up about some fears he had in hopes that Sam would be more inclined to open up to him about his time in the lair.

After about a week of gently prodding, Sam finally began to talk about his ordeal in the lair. It was very slow going at first, but in time it became a little more comfortable and seemed to be easier for Sam to confide in Dean about some of the horrific things that were done to him and to others in there with him.

However, there was one subject that hadn't been discussed, and as uncomfortable as it was for Dean, he knew they would have to acknowledge it sooner or later. Dean had rehearsed the conversation since Sam's rescue, and it was now finally time to have it. Dean kept reminding himself that he needed to be sensitive and do his best to remain calm and supportive of Sam, no matter what.

"Sam," Dean began, already starting to squirm in his seat. "When Cas first got you out and you were in the safe room with us, you were wearing a….." He couldn't quite bring himself to say the word, but pointed to his own throat, indicating the collar.

Dean could tell by the look on Sam's face and his own uncomfortable body language that Sam knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Yeah, I know." Sam admitted quietly, his eyes once again finding the floor.

Knowing what a difficult topic that must be for Sam, Dean didn't make an issue of the lack of eye contact. He concentrated instead on keeping Sam talking.

"I was told that it signified something…..is that true?"

Sam chewed on his lower lip slightly, contemplating his answer. Slowly, he gave a slight nod. "Yeah, a certain….type…..of slave."

"That must've been unimaginable."

Sam started to get a little defensive. "I didn't have a choice, Dean. I just did what I had to do to survive. If I cooperated with them then I got some food. I wanted to fight them, but there were too many of them, and I was so hungry…" His voice trailed off as he shook his head, never looking up from the floor.

"I know, Sam. Don't think for one minute that you have to justify what happened to me, 'cause honestly you don't. Nothing that happened was your fault."

Sam picked at his fingernails. "I hated every minute of it. It made me physically ill to have them touching me and forcing themselves on me." He continued to shake his head as if trying to erase the memory of it all. The last thing that Sam said was like a knife in Dean's gut. "I wasn't enjoying any of it…my body just responded involuntarily to what they were doing to me. I couldn't help what happened."

Dean caught his breath. The little voice in his head was screaming out that this was just too much information for Sam to be sharing with him. Every ounce of him just wanted to run away and avoid the subject at all costs, but somehow he forced himself to remain calm and continue to be supportive of his brother, no matter how painful it was for both of them. He tried desperately not to have any images enter his head.

"Of course you couldn't." Dean continued, "None of that was your fault, you hear me? None of it. I just wish I could get my hands on those bastards. I would make them suffer like they never had in their entire lives."

A look of horror and confusion crossed Sam's face as he finally brought himself to make eye contact with Dean. "Bastards?" He asked.

"Oh, I promise you, Sam, one of these days, I will catch up with those sons of bitches, and they will all pay for what they did to you."

Sam stared at Dean in disbelief. "Dude! Female demons! Female, not male!" Sam's brow furrowed as he shook his head at his brother, a look of shock and repulsion taking over his face. "Seriously?"

Dean's heart and stomach dropped to the floor. Quickly, he tried to recover. "Um, yeah, of course…..female. That's what I thought all along. I knew you meant chick demons." He tried to continue to be supportive. "But, either way, it wouldn't make any difference, it still wouldn't be your….."

"What do you mean 'it wouldn't make any difference?" Sam interrupted. "It would make ALL the difference! Jesus, Dean. What the Hell? It was bad enough with the females…..you mean all this time you thought I'd had to be with the male demons? This whole time?"

"Look, I was just trying to be supportive, here. I'm sorry if it came out wrong."

Sam continued to look disgusted with Dean as he continued to shake his head. "Whatever, I don't want to talk about it anymore. It was horrible, but I did what I had to do and it's over now, so let's just agree to never bring it up again." He stood up and went to the fridge for some juice. "Holy crap. Now I have to get that image out of my head."

Dean decided to just drop the subject. He was so relieved that his assumption that Sam would be that type of slave to both sexes of demons was wrong, but he wished he'd known about it before he broached the subject with Sam. This wasn't how Dean had rehearsed the conversation going. It figured that the first time Dean decided to have a delicate conversation with Sam, it had blown up in his face and left him feeling stupid. This was exactly the reason why guys should never have touchy, feely conversations in the first place. The whole thing had just ended up even more embarrassing for both of them, but at least it was over.

"You and me both, brother. Hey, pour me a glass too."

After a month of being fed everything from baby food to soup to oatmeal, Sam's digestive system was finally strong enough to tolerate some regular foods. Sam never was one for greasy foods or red meats, so he was able to get back to his regular diet and still eat healthy. He slowly began to put a few pounds on, and was gradually getting some of his strength back.

However, for Sam, his strength was not coming back fast enough and he was starting to become frustrated.

Before his capture, Sam had secretly prided himself with his commitment to working out and keeping his body in great shape. He would work out every day, even when on the road, and his muscles were in top form.

Since his capture, he had lost nearly all of his body fat and had lost a great deal of his muscles to malnourishment. Just getting up and walking across the room was very tiring for him and this made him feel pathetic and weak.

On top of this, Sam was becoming a bit stir crazy from being inside so much and from never being left alone. Either Dean or Bobby was always there with him, and Sam was beginning to feel suffocated. Of course the first few weeks he really needed someone there with him to take care of him, but now that a month had passed and he was getting stronger he discovered that he really missed just being alone every now and then.

Sam would give anything if he were allowed to just take the Impala for a few hours and go for a ride, but of course Dean wouldn't hear of it. It wasn't long before Sam began to feel resentment toward Dean for being so overbearingly protective.

One afternoon Sam decided he would just take the keys and go. He was just about to walk out the door when Dean entered the room.

"And just where the Hell do you think you're going?"

Sam sighed as he turned toward Dean's voice.

"I'm just going for a quick drive. I'll be back in about an hour."

Dean walked past Sam and closed the door on him. "Yeah, I don't think so. Give me back the keys, Sam."

"So, exactly how long am I going to be kept here, Dean?" Sam groaned as he reluctantly surrendered the keys. "You know you'll have to let me out sooner or later."

"Yep, I know that, and I choose later."

"Dean, c'mon….."

"Sam," Dean said, his voice getting a little louder. "We're not having this conversation again. You're still not well enough. Christ, just two days ago you were running a fever again."

"99.5 doesn't qualify as a fever, Dean. It didn't mean anything. You wouldn't even have known about it at all if you didn't insist on checking it every day. All this 'Mother Henning' is driving me nuts."

Dean's expression turned to stone as his eyes glared over. He walked up to Sam and stared him down.

"Need I remind you what rough shape you were in when we found you? Perhaps you've forgotten what you've been through this past month and how sick you were."

Sam exhaled deeply. He didn't want to make Dean angry, but he needed him to see his side of things.

"No, I haven't forgotten, and I appreciate everything you and Bobby and even Cas have done for me, I really do. But, Dean, that was a month ago. I've only been out of the house once since then, and I had to beg you for a solid week just to take me out to get a haircut…..and even then you and Bobby insisted on coming with me."

Just then Bobby walked through the door. His eyes went from Sam to Dean and then back to Sam as he quickly realized he was walking in on yet another argument.

"Hey fellas, what are we fighting about now?"

Dean pointed to Sam. "Sammy here thinks he's up for taking a road trip, solo. Had his foot out the door when I caught him."

Sam sighed and bowed his head. He knew he was outnumbered now that Bobby was home. Bobby had always sided with Dean on this subject.

"I wasn't going on a road trip. I just wanted to go for a little drive."

Bobby looked at Sam. "Uh huh. And where were you going to end up on this 'little drive?' You got somewhere you need to be?"

"No. Not anywhere in particular. Just to go out and get some fresh air."

"You want fresh air? Open a window." Dean retorted. "You're still not well enough to go out by yourself yet."

"I'm doing a lot better, Dean. My ribs are healing, my collarbone is better, the concussion's gone, my eye is pretty much back to normal now. All the flesh wounds have scabbed over, Hell, I even gained six pounds."

"Yeah, well, that's all great Sam, but keep in mind you lost about 30 pounds, so you still have a Hell of a long way to go." Dean turned and leaned against the counter. "Keep in mind that not all your wounds were physical, either. You've still got a long way to go in the other departments before you can handle it out there on your own."

Sam's shoulders slumped and a hurt expression crossed over his face.

"No. You're wrong. I've made a lot of progress with that. I've been talking about all the stuff that happened and I'm working really hard at the eye contact thing. The nightmares are starting to ease off. I'm doing a lot better."

"I didn't say you weren't doing better. I said you still have a long way to go."

Sam was starting to become very agitated.

"You can't make all the decisions for me, Dean. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm 25 years old. Stop bossing me around like I'm a little kid. I'm a lot stronger now than you give me credit for. You just choose to see me as weak so you can keep me under your control, that's all this is."

Dean's eyes held an angry stare for a moment.

"Oh really? You think that's all this is?"

"Yeah, I do."

At that moment, Dean quickly pulled himself away from the counter and made two quick steps toward Sam as he made a loud growling noise. As expected, Sam instinctively dropped to his knees, covering his head.

"No! Don't!" Sam cried out.

Dean stopped and once again leaned against the counter. His face held a very sad, yet determined look.

"I think I've just proved my point, Sam." He said quietly.

Sam opened his eyes. He was very embarrassed and ashamed by his reaction. He wasn't sure if he was angrier with Dean or with himself. He stood back up, but couldn't bring himself to look at either of the other men in the kitchen.

"The only point you just proved is that you're a frigging jerk." Sam quietly replied as he left the kitchen and went into the bedroom that had become his. He closed the door behind him.

Bobby didn't say anything until he was sure Sam was out of hearing range. He looked at Dean.

"Not one of your prouder moments."

Dean became a little defensive.

"No, it wasn't, but it did get my point across to him, Bobby. He has to realize that he can't just go out on his own yet. Christ, anything could be out there waiting to grab him. You know as well as I do that he's still really vulnerable right now. There's no way he could go up against a demon in his condition, and don't think they won't be waiting for him to come out." Dean ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed his face. "I know I was a dick just then, but he pushed me into it. I feel like crap for what I just did. It was a last resort."

Bobby sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I know what you were trying to prove, Dean. It was just a nasty way to do it, is all."

_**Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think. **_


	7. Chapter 7

A few days had passed since Sam and Dean's confrontation, and there was still quite a bit of tension between them.

As expected, Sam turned inward and remained quiet and withdrawn while Dean seemed very much on edge. Dean passed the time helping Bobby in the yard with the cars while Sam occupied himself with a few books as he continued to serve his sentence in the house.

The hardest part for Dean was that he truly could sympathize with Sam. He knew that if the roles were reversed he would have knocked Sam and Bobby both out of the way by now and made a break for it. However, as much as he wanted to be the good guy and allow Sam to go out on his own, the little voice in his head just wouldn't let him. It would be reckless and extremely dangerous for Sam if he were permitted to leave the safety of Bobby's house, so Dean made the decision that if it meant that Sam would be safe, he would accept his role as the bad guy.

So why was it that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that argument with Sam out of his head?

It could have been that, even though Dean knew he was right, he also knew he had hurt Sam. Here Sam was only a month out of the Lair and away from that horrible abuse and already Dean was making him feel inferior.

He also couldn't get the image of Sam's expression as he left the kitchen out of his head. The kid had just looked so…crushed. Dean replayed it over and over in his mind. Sam, trying so hard to convince him how much better he was doing and feeling, and Dean had just dismissed it, focusing more on Sam's weaknesses than strengths. That alone would be enough to devastate Sam but, no, Dean had to take it one step further and really go for the throat with that whole scaring and humiliating him maneuver.

Like Bobby had said, 'Not his proudest moment'.

Dean knew all too well that what was done was done, and there was no taking it back now. He just made a silent promise to Sam and to himself that the first opportunity he had he would somehow make it up to Sam.

Little did he know that the opportunity would be coming sooner than later.

Bobby had been waiting on a transmission from his supplier for over a week now. He had finally received the call that the order was in and he had planned to take the hour long drive south to pick it up after lunch. However, about an hour before Bobby was supposed to leave, Rufus called, telling him that he needed Bobby to come as soon as he could to get him out of a jam with a job he was doing about three hours north of Bobby's house.

As always, Bobby was expected to drop everything and run to his friend's rescue, which was exactly what Bobby planned to do. The transmission order would just have to wait until tomorrow, putting him yet another day behind schedule with his business.

Dean overheard the tail-end of Bobby's conversation with Rufus, and offered to help him by picking up the transmission order.

"We can't both be gone at the same time. What about Sam?" Bobby asked.

Dean rubbed his face with his hands and sighed.

"He'll be okay by himself. It'll only be for a couple of hours."

Bobby threw Dean a look of disbelief.

Dean shook his head before Bobby could say anything. "I know, I know. I can't believe I'm saying it either, but… Look, Sam was right the other day when he said that sooner or later I am gonna have to either let him out or leave him by himself. My gut still won't let him out, so I guess the safest first step would be to let him stay alone for a while."

Bobby nodded as he mulled it over in his head. "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing since you two got into it that day, and it would really help me out…" Bobby squinted his eyes as he looked at Dean. "You sure about this?"

Dean smiled and shook his head. "No." he answered. "But I do know that I've gotta loosen my grip on the kid a little, or he's gonna end up hating me for it."

Dean clapped Bobby on the back. "You go help that sorry son of a bitch Rufus. I'll leave for the part in a few minutes. Lemee just go make sure Sam's feeling up to staying by himself first, though."

Bobby couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure you won't get any arguments from him."

Dean ambled into the house, finding Sam in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge for a snack.

"I see your appetite is finally making a strong comeback." Dean quipped.

Sam ceased his search long enough to throw a quick look in Dean's direction. "Yeah, my stomach's finally adjusting to eating a few times a day now." Sam decided on some sliced turkey and brought it to the table. "Can you grab the bread in the cupboard behind you?"

Dean located the bread and handed the loaf to Sam, who went straight to work on his sandwich.

"Bobby's transmission's in."

"Yeah?" Sam said, "Finally?"

"Yeah, but there's a slight problem. Rufus needs Bobby's help and he won't be back until much later tonight, maybe not even until tomorrow morning. He was in a tight spot so I figured I could go pick the transmission up for him."

Sam stopped the sandwich making and stared blankly at Dean.

"So," Dean continued. "That means that you'll be all by your lonesome here for a few hours while I go get it….You okay with that?"

Sam seemed a little taken back by Dean's question, but answered quickly.

"I'm totally okay with that." He answered, vigorously nodding his head.

"You're sure? You know this means that you'll be completely without me?" Dean teased, knowing full well how anxious Sam had been for some alone time.

"I know, and I'm still completely sure that I am _so_ totally okay with that."

Dean chuckled a little bit. "Look, Sam. I know I'm teasing you a little bit, but this really is serious." He walked over to Sam, checking him over a bit.

"You're still feeling okay, right?" He asked as he looked into Sam's eyes.

"I feel fine, Dean. I've felt fine for a week now, and I'll be perfectly fine on my own for a few hours, I promise you."

"Okay, but first I need to set some ground rules, and you're to abide by all of them, you got that?"

"Sure, anything. What are they?" It seemed as though Sam was so anxious to get Dean out of the house that he would pretty much agree to anything at this point.

"First of all, no going outside….for ANY reason. The windows and doors are all salted and there are devils' traps at each entranceway. You are to stay inside."

"Agreed. What else?"

"You can't do anything strenuous or taxing while I'm gone. You are to take it completely easy. Clear?"

Sam nodded again. "Crystal. Is that it?"

"No, one more thing…..I'm really going against everything that my gut tells me to do right now, don't make me regret this. If I find out that you've done something stupid while I'm gone like leave the house or get yourself hurt trying to do something too strenuous, I'll kick your ass when I get back. You hear me?"

Sam smiled. "Yes, I hear you. Dean, I'm not a child. Believe it or not, I'm actually eager to show you that you can leave me alone. I'm not going to do anything stupid to ruin that."

With that Sam grabbed Dean by the elbow and led him to the door.

"Okay, well then, I'm glad we got that settled, and I'm sure you want to get an early start on your trip." He said as he opened the front door in the kitchen. He smiled as he handed Dean the keys to the Impala.

"Drive safely, now."

"Sammy," Dean quipped, "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were trying to get rid of me."

"Nope, not at all." Sam answered as he gently pushed Dean out the screen door and closed it behind him, "Don't forget to buckle up. Bye now."

Dean laughed and shook his head at Sam. As he was approaching the Impala, Bobby pulled up along side him with his truck.

"He gonna be alright for a while?"

"He says he is, Bobby."

Bobby smiled, "And I'm sure he was happy with the idea."

"Like a kid on Christmas morning."

This caused Bobby to laugh a bit. "Okay then, I'll be back as soon as I can get ol' Rufus back on the right track. Thanks again, Dean. I appreciate it."

Dean sighed as he looked back toward the house, trying to ignore the ache in his stomach.

"Yeah, no problem."

"Oh, will you stop already?" Bobby added as he began to drive away. "The kid'll be fine. You worry too much."

_**As always, thanks for reading. I hope you are enjoying it. Please take just a moment and let me know what you think. **_


	8. Chapter 8

Sam watched in anticipation as both vehicles were leaving the driveway. He sighed in relief at his new found freedom and sat down with his laptop and turkey sandwich. He had recently downloaded some cd's that he hadn't had a chance to listen to yet, as he knew it wasn't Dean or Bobby's type of music, and now he could relax and enjoy them at full volume. He had no sooner begun the first track when his cell phone rang. Not too surprisingly, it was Dean. Sam sighed again as he answered.

"Yes, Dean, my first thirty seconds alone have been fine."

"Sam, I just wanted to let you know that the car died at the end of the driveway. I'm pretty sure it's the battery, and I'm gonna hook her up to one of Bobby's junkers and give it a jump. So, I'll still be on the property for a little while, just in case you hear me out here or happen to need anything."

Sam frowned a little bit. Selfishly he really hoped that it was only the battery and that Dean could get the car started quickly and be gone.

"Okay, Dean. Sure. Thanks for letting me know."

After hanging up the phone, Sam opened the window facing the driveway and listened for a few minutes. In the distance he could hear an engine attempting to turn over again and again. Dean's voice could also be heard saying the occasional, "C'mon, Baby, please start." Or "Son of a bitch, Start already!"

After a while, Sam shook his head, resigning to the idea that he would most likely not be enjoying the afternoon alone after all, and was just about to leave the window when he heard a loud crash, followed by a thud.

'What the Hell?' Sam thought as he strained to hear anything else coming from that direction. When it was quiet for a moment, he gave a shout out.

"Dean? You okay out there?"

Sam didn't get an answer. Instead he could hear the commotion of a violent struggle. He could hear crashing sounds and screaming from an unknown source, as well as Dean hollering out.

"Get away from me, you sons of bitches! I swear I'll rip you all apart with my bare hands!"

Sam's heart went up into his throat. Instinctively he ran to the door to go out and help Dean, but when he reached the doorway, he froze. His whole body began to shake at the idea of leaving the safety of the house and right into the face of danger. He strained to be able to see what was going on, but there were too many cars in Bobby's yard and it was toward the end of the driveway, so he saw nothing. He could still hear Dean screaming at his attackers to back off, but it didn't sound like they were listening.

"Dean!" Sam screamed out. "What's happening? Come back to the house! Run!"

"Sam! You stay in the house, you hear me? Don't you dare come out!"

Sam was just about to tell him again to run toward the house, when he heard it. It was the gargled cry of a fatal blow, and then everything went silent.

Tears filled Sam's eyes as he continued to call out for Dean with no response. His panic turned to fury at the idea that something could have happened to Dean. He knew then what he had to do. He ran into the next room and retrieved the demon-killing knife.

Grabbing the knife tightly in his grip, Sam took his first shaky steps out the door and down the stairs of the porch. His hunter training in high gear, he protectively held the knife in front of him and turned his head from side to side, prepared for anything.

He carefully made his way toward the end of the driveway, more terrified of finding his brother's dead body than any monsters that may be out there waiting for him.

Confusion took over his thoughts as he reached his destination and found nothing. No signs of a struggle, no Dean, and even stranger was that there was no broken down Impala.

Horror seeped throughout Sam's body at the sickening realization that this had been a trick.

"Oh Shit!" He whispered to himself as he turned around and started to bolt back to the house.

Suddenly from out of nowhere a force hit Sam from behind, knocking him forward and causing him to hit the ground hard. The fall caused the knife to fly from Sam's grasp and land several feet away from him.

Sam rolled over onto his back to face what had struck him from behind. Standing over him was a woman with long red hair and a revolting smile on her face. She took a few more steps then crouched over Sam, a foot on either side of him as he lay there staring up at her. She wore all black leather from head to toe, complete with three inch heeled leather boots. Behind her stood a large man with jet black hair. He held a large duffle bag in one hand.

"Hello, Sam." She cooed. "I've been wondering where you've been. I suspected you'd never be able to resist the sounds of your brother's voice screaming out in pain, so I practiced it until I got it just right. Now here you are…all mine, and your brother and Bobby are miles away from here. I also thought the phone call was a nice touch, didn't you?"

Every ounce of air left Sam's lungs. His throat closed up and his heart had just about stopped. He desperately wanted to get up and run away, but was unable to move. His huge eyes were caught in her stare as his body succumbed to total panic.

The woman reached out and lifted Sam's chin, dragging her long slender finger along his throat. She frowned slightly.

"I see you've slipped your collar." She observed. "That's a bad boy. I guess we'll just have to put the next one on even tighter." She clamped her hand over Sam's throat with an amazing force, pushing Sam further backward against the gravel and left him gasping helplessly for air. She smiled for a moment at his predicament, and then removed her hand.

Sam's hand went his neck as he tried to shield his throat from further attacks. He managed some deep breaths before another wave of panic spread over him.

'There is no way this is happening.' He thought to himself as he somehow tried to regain control of his body and mind. All the progress he had made in the past month seemed to dissolve the instant he laid his eyes on her. Her name was Margo, and she was one of the demons specially assigned to him while he was captive.

Sam's gaze once again met with Margo's as he waited to see what she would do next.

Suddenly Margo's eyes darkened as she drew her arm back and sharply slapped Sam across the face.

"Have you forgotten everything I taught you, bitch?" She cried. "Keep your eyes down!"

Sam's head snapped to the side as he shut his eyes tight.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "Please…I'm so sorry."

A thin smile crept its way across her lips. She bent over Sam, bringing her mouth to Sam's ear.

"That's better." She teased as her tongue and lips traced along the side of his face. "Just don't let it happen again."

She stood up, towering over him.

"By the way, there's a hefty bounty for your safe return. Lilith will be very pleased with me when I bring you back to her."

She turned to the man behind her, who unzipped the duffle bag and pulled out chains and leg irons. She took them and turned back to Sam, dangling them over him.

"Now you be good and hold still for me. We'll be on our way in just a moment."

The realization began to hit Sam hard as he suddenly started to regain some movement in his arms and legs. He pulled himself up slightly and started to crabwalk backwards.

"No." He stated. "There's no way you're taking me back with you alive."

"Oh Sam, don't be so overdramatic. Of course you're coming back. You don't have any other choice."

Margo reached down with the chains to attach them to his wrists when a scream from behind her caught her attention. She abruptly turned just in time to see the male demon with an expression of shock on his face. A second later, a burst of light flashed across his face and he fell to the ground, revealing a woman with long black hair standing behind him holding a bloody knife in her hands.

Without hesitation, the woman leapt toward Margo and plunged the knife deep into her chest. As Margo fell to her knees dying, the woman leaned forward and grabbed Margo by the hair.

"Rot in Hell, bitch!" She sneered. "And don't worry… Lilith won't be far behind you." The woman then shoved Margo's head to the ground and watched as she fell face down in the dirt.

Sam watched in horror at the scene before him. As the woman turned toward him, a new panic swept over him and he crabwalked again at a greater speed. After a few awkward steps in his crouched position, he turned over onto his hands and knees, somehow found his footing and ran full speed toward the house.

The woman somehow easily beat him to the porch, and stood in front of him with her arms folded as he approached the steps. Sam was forced to stop directly in front of her as she blocked his way into the house.

With his heartbeat pounding in his ears and his eyes cast downward, Sam stood silently in front of her, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Sam," She said softly. "I need you to break the salt line into the house. We don't have much time before other demons come, and I really need to talk to you."

Sam shook his head. "No way." He answered. "If you can't cross the salt line, then that means you're a demon, too. There's no way I'm doing that."

She started screaming at Sam.

"Sam, NOW! There are more demons coming here right now. I can feel them and they are very close. Break the damned salt line now or I'll tie you here on the porch and take the knife with me!"

Just as he had with Dean in the kitchen a few days earlier, Sam crouched down at the sound of her shouts. He couldn't handle being screamed at and the intensity in her voice compelled him to obey her.

"Okay." He cried, bringing his hands up protectively in front of him. "I'll do it, just please stop!"

He brushed his finger along the salt line, breaking it. Sam and the woman entered the house. As soon as she was through, Sam fixed the salt line and took a few steps backward, leaving the woman in the devils' trap in the entranceway.

"It looks as though you're still trapped." Sam stated, expecting another strong reaction from her. "I had to do what I had to do to get in the house, but now that I'm safe in here, there's no way I'm breaking this trap."

She smiled as she gazed at him.

"You don't recognize me, do you Sam?"

Sam stole a glance at her face. He shook his head. "No. I've never seen you."

"Well, I had to get a new meat suit after Lilith took over my old one, but I thought for sure you'd still recognize me."

Sam stared at her blankly as his mind tried to catch up with what she was saying.

"C'mon, Sam." She continued. "After all we've been through? How many other demons out there have helped you the way I have? You know who I am." She smiled again.

Sam's brow creased in astonishment as it finally dawned on him who this was standing in front of him.

"Ruby."

_**Action scenes have never been a strong point for me, so I hope the visual was okay for this chapter. I should be wrapping this up in the next chapter or two, hopefully circling back to a point in season 4. **_

_**As always, thank you for reading and please take a quick moment and let me know what you think. Coming into this fandom with no following and only two stories under my belt, the kind feedback has been so much more than I expected. Thank you so much!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**This chapter gets a bit AU as I had to change the timing that Sam and Ruby worked together. In the series Sam trained with Ruby during the summer that Dean was in Hell. My story changes that a bit, and the reason for the training is a little different, but hopefully it works and doesn't change the premise too much. **_

_**Thank you so much to the anon reviewers who I can't thank personally with a message. Also a thank you to the ones who review from chapter to chapter, it becomes a great incentive to keep up with the posts. I greatly appreciate it. **_

_**I figure I have one more chapter to go with this story and that should wrap it up. **_

_**As always, I own and make nothing. **_

Ruby smiled from ear to ear as she looked at Sam.

"It's good to see you, finally." She said.

Sam looked at her, visibly confused.

"But how? The day I was taken….Lilith said you'd been sent away…."

Ruby nodded as she looked at the floor. "Yes, I was. I was banished to a prison of my own….a demons' prison. Not to make light of what you went through, but compared to where I was, it made the lair you were held at look like Club Med. If there's one thing demons hate more than humans, it's demons who befriend humans. After months of torture, I was finally able to convince Lilith and the others that I could be trusted again. I got out about the same time you did." Ruby shook her head as she looked up at Sam. "If she ever finds out that I'm here helping you out again….." She stopped without finishing her sentence.

"Then why are you doing this? Why did you help me?"

Ruby blew out a quick breath in a huff, as if Sam had asked a ridiculous question.

"All the same reasons I helped you before, you idiot. Because I know that you are the only person alive who can take Lilith down."

Sam's mouth dropped open and he took a few steps back from Ruby, shaking his head.

"Oh no." He answered. "There's no way I can do that. Lilith is too strong. Plus, after being held in the lair and with all I've been through…..you've got to be crazy if you think I'm capable of…"

"Sam, listen to me!" Ruby interjected. "I know you've been through a lot. I know what they do to people in the lairs, and I'm so sorry for everything that they put you through. If there had been any way for me to help you out of there, I would've done it in a heartbeat, but like I said, I was going through my own type of Hell. But, listen, you CAN defeat Lilith, you can. I can help you. It'll take some time and some hard work, but there's no question that you have the capability to do it, even though you're physically weaker right now, you still have your abilities."

Sam sighed as he continued shaking his head. Very quietly and slowly, he tried to get Ruby to listen to him.

"No, you're wrong about that. I don't have any abilities, I haven't for over a year now. If I did have them, don't you think I would've used them to get myself out of there?"

"You do still have them, they're just dormant right now. I'm telling you, Sam, with some training you will be stronger and more powerful against the demons than you can ever imagine. Ironically, if you had trained with me before you were captured, they never would've been able to keep you in the lair at all. You would've been able to kill every last one of them. Train with me….let me show you how."

Sam adamantly shook his head.

"No. That's not happening."

Ruby sighed. "I'm really sorry to hear that, Sam." She shrugged her shoulders and waved her arm around, pointing around the house. "So, I guess this is where you'll be living out the rest of your life then? There's no place else where you'll ever be safe again, and even if you stay here, Lilith will eventually find you and recapture you, most likely killing Dean and Bobby in the process. It's only a matter of time."

Sam's chest tightened at the possibility that she was right about that. However, he didn't want Ruby to see how her words were affecting him.

"Dean and Bobby will think of something." Sam answered.

"You sure about that?" Ruby asked. "It's no coincidence that Margo chose the moment Dean and Bobby left you alone to strike. She's been outside waiting for them to leave ever since you escaped. She suspected you were here."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Suspected? So the others don't know for sure where I am?"

"No, they don't. That angel who helped you escape put up some pretty good roadblocks to the path that leads to you. Lilith has demons staked out at a lot of different locations across the country, just waiting for you to be spotted."

"So, what's to stop them from figuring out that I'm here, now that I've been spotted?"

Ruby smiled. "It's actually very simple. All I have to do is report back to Lilith that I checked out this place and it's clean. With all the possibilities of places you and Dean have across the country to hide, it shouldn't be too hard to convince her. After all, this is the most obvious place. She may give you credit for being smarter than you actually were to stay here."

Sam studied Ruby for a moment….trying to decide exactly what her motives were. Although in the past she had always been an ally, she was still a demon.

"And you would do that out of the kindness of your heart?"

Ruby laughed slightly. "Um, no. Like I said earlier, the only reason I came to your rescue today is to convince you to train with me against Lilith. However, I'm not suicidal…..I'm not going to side with you if you're not strong enough to stop Lilith. I don't mean to sound threatening, it's just the way it's got to be. I'll only lie to Lilith for you if you agree to train with me."

"Won't she notice that Margo and the other demon are dead? Won't that tip her off?"

"No, not necessarily," Ruby replied. "Lilith hated Margo anyway. I'll tell her that Margo planned to betray her so I killed her and her goon. Believe me, Margo won't be missed."

As if just remembering, Sam again began shaking his head.

"Look, Ruby. Even if I did think I was able to go through with all of this, which I don't, you're forgetting one very important piece. Dean will never, _ever_, let me do this. There's just no way. This is the first he's even let me out of his sight, and that was after he read me the riot act."

Ruby shrugged as if this was a minor detail.

"Then I guess it'll just have to be our little secret." She smiled.

Sam found her reply so insane that he had to laugh, although he really shouldn't have been that surprised that this would be her idea. Dean hated Ruby, this was no secret. Even after all the times Ruby had helped them out of life and death situations and repeatedly came through for them, Dean still wouldn't trust her. It just wasn't going to happen.

"You're kidding, right?" He paused, half expecting her to tell him that her last response was just a joke. Seeing that it wasn't, he continued. "Ruby, he would literally kick my ass to Jupiter and back if he ever found out…..and that's _after_ he broke every bone in my body." He ran his hands through his hair as he paced back and forth. "And then there's Bobby. How am I expected to get past them? They never take their eyes off me."

"I can meet you outside each night after they've gone to bed. We can train very close by here, under the radar of the other demons." Seeing Sam's incredulous reaction to her words, she raised her voice to try to get him to believe in her plan. "Sam, I've really thought about this, I have. You just have to do your part and trust me. It will work."

Sam rubbed his face with his hands. This was all just too much for him to take in. Every nerve in his body was screaming at him to say 'no'. He desperately wanted, needed there to be another option. He looked at her helplessly.

She smiled sadly at him, seeing the pain that he was obviously feeling.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I wish there was another way. Believe me, I've wracked my brain trying to think of another way out of this, but there isn't one."

Ruby reached her arm out to Sam, urging him to come into the devils' trap with her.

Sam eyed her cautiously for a moment, but ultimately decided to advance a few steps toward her and take her hand.

She pulled him into a soft hug.

"Lilith has done so much to all of us." She told Sam softly as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Having those Hellhounds viciously attack and rip Dean to shreds….laughing as his soul was sent to Hell…..dragging you off to the lair and doing all those cruel and heinous things to you." She broke the bond between them for a moment and looked up into Sam's eyes. "Neither of your lives will ever be the same again. If you have the possibility to destroy her, to make her finally pay for all she's put you both through…..Don't you have to at least try?"

Sam was wavering. Ruby could tell the way his eyes were darting back and forth as he contemplated her ideas in his head. He just needed one more push and she believed he would be on board with her plan.

She locked eyes with him, keeping him in her stare for as long as she could hold him there.

"I need you to trust me right now, Sam." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "If you'll just have a little faith in me, I'll show you something right now."

She brought her hand up to the back of his neck and softly pulled him down to her, bringing his lips toward hers. Seeing that he wasn't pulling away, she pressed against his mouth with hers. Purposely, just before their lips met, she bit her bottom lip…just enough to draw a few drops of blood.

The kiss advanced and Ruby opened her mouth slightly, allowing her blood to find its way into Sam's mouth. As Sam tasted the blood, he initially tried to pull away from her, but she held his head firmly as she advanced the kiss deeper. Within a few seconds of the demon blood penetrating his system, Sam felt an incredible rush of strength flow through him. Before he knew what was happening, he acted on the feeling of power and passionately pulled her back into his mouth, hungrily sucking and licking at her lips, taking as much blood as he could from her, letting the taste of it swirl in his mouth before he swallowed it down. The feeling of it was amazing.

Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over as Sam finally did come to his senses and roughly pulled away.

"What the Hell was that?" He cried as he frantically wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Okay," Ruby said as she raised her hands up to him, trying to calm him down, "Don't freak out on me now."

"Did you just feed me demon blood?" Sam stepped back out of the circle, panting as he desperately tried to regain his senses.

"I had a little cut on my lip, that's all." Ruby explained. "I need you to remain calm right now, Sam. It's important."

"You evil bitch!" Sam lashed out, "After I trusted you, this is what you do to me? You pour more of that poison into my bloodstream?"

"It's not what you think." Ruby had to find a way to subdue Sam quickly, as time was running out and Dean would surely be on his way home by now. "The blood is the key to the whole plan. Now, instead of focusing on what it was, I need you to focus on how it made you feel. What did it feel like, Sam? How did your body react to it?"

Sam could barely hear what Ruby was saying as his heartbeat thundered loudly in his ears, but he forced himself to listen to her. He could feel his own blood pumping through his veins, mixing with the demon blood, and although he refused to admit it just yet, it felt wonderful. It was as if all his confidence had come back tenfold, and for the first time since he could remember he felt invincible.

Once again coming back to his senses, Sam violently shook his head.

"That blood is a disease to me. It's the cause of my whole life falling apart and it's destroyed everyone in my family. It's lethal."

Ruby shook her head slowly back and forth.

"Honey, listen. I know that's what you've been made to believe, and part of that is true. Initially, Azazel had plans for you. But now that he's gone, there's a way for you to turn this into something good. Like it or not, the demon blood has a profound affect on you. It makes you much, much stronger. As I've been saying all along, you can have the ability to kill Lilith, and this blood will give you the strength you will need to do it."

Sam frowned at her in utter disbelief. There was no way that she could be telling the truth. None of it made sense to him at all. None, that is, except his body's own reaction to the few drops of blood. It was as if his body was telling him one thing, and his mind another.

He shuddered at the thought of going through with this. The idea made him nauseous, yet there was now something about it all that intrigued him.

What Sam's body was capable of handling at one time had reached its peak. He could feel his head start to pound, his body break into a sweat and his stomach start to turn. Very slowly the room started to spin.

"I can't answer you right now." He finally managed to say to her, his voice beginning to break. "This has all been too much for me. I'm still feeling sick to my stomach about what happened outside today. With everything that you told me on top of that, my head just can't deal with it all at once." He looked down at the carpet, trying to steady his breathing and get a handle on the dizziness.

Ruby sighed at him. A feeling of pity swept over her for him.

"I know this is hard for you. Take the rest of the day today and I'll be back tomorrow night for your answer. I can meet you at your window. Just open it for a minute and we can talk. Okay?"

Sam nodded, still staring at the floor.

Ruby looked at the floor as well, eyeing the devils' trap she was stuck in.

"Can you help me get out of this?" She asked. "It really wouldn't be good if I were still here when Dean comes home."

"Oh God, that's right." Sam said as her words seemed to snap him back to reality. He quickly scraped away at the paint of the circle, making a break in it for her to leave through.

"Thanks," She replied. "I'll take those two meat suits with me when I go. Make sure you fix the trap and don't forget to clean off the knife and put it back as well." She gave him a concerned look. "Do you think you can pull yourself together by the time Dean gets home?"

Sam almost smiled at her as he let out a quick breath.

"I'm gonna have to find a way to pull it together, I don't have any other choice."

He watched as Ruby cleaned up the demon carcasses and left. He quickly went to work on the trap and the knife, and within a moment's time it was all taken care of. With the adrenaline gone, the magnitude of the events of the day overtook him and he ran to the bathroom to throw up.

Wiping his face with a cold washcloth and clutching the sink, he asked his reflection in the bathroom mirror the ultimate question.

"Are you really able to go through with this?"

Studying himself for a moment, he came to a realization.

This really was their only option for things to get back to normal….whatever that was.

He left the bathroom and returned to the couch in the living room. He concentrated on steadying his breathing and forced himself to meditate as best as he could.

_In through the nose, out through the mouth…_

Surprisingly, it seemed to be working, at least a little bit.

It was a good thing too, because he could now hear the roar of an engine as Dean pulled the Impala into the driveway.

_**Whew! That was a little longer than I planned. **_

_**Thanks for reading and please take a moment and let me know what you think. **_


	10. Chapter 10

**TO ANYONE TURNING TO THIS CHAPTER THINKING IT IS NEW BECAUSE IS SHOWED IN YOUR ALERTS ON JULY 13, '13...IT IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER. I MISTAKENLY DELETED THE FINAL CHAPTER TO THIS FIC AND WHEN I REPLACED IT, IT SHOWED IN EVERYONE'S ALERTS AS A NEW CHAPTER. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ERROR. **

_**I'm so sorry this has taken so long to post. Serious computer problems and full blown soccer season held me back a little bit. **_

_**Okay, so here is the last chapter. Now it seems like it ends on a cliffhanger, but I had written this so that it would hopefully be seen as an episode, and we all know how the episodes all seem to end with a cliffhanger. I had written it so it would loop back around and meet up with the episode "Metamorphosis" so if you need to know what happens next, just watch that episode! **_

_**Seriously, though. Thanks again for all the kind reviews and pm's. I had a great time writing this and hope to try my hand at it again sometime. Everyone at this fandom has been wonderful. **_

_**So here we go!**_

Sam quickly grabbed his laptop from the back of the couch and buried his head into it, pretending to be reading something as Dean entered the house.

"Lucy! I'm home!" Dean chimed as he came through the door, dropping his keys on the table.

Sam looked up from the laptop as if just noticing him. "Hey." He answered.

"The guy at the auto parts store was grilling his lunch when I got there and he had the biggest steak I'd ever seen cooking right in front of me the whole time while he was getting the transmission. Man, it looked so good, and the smell of it cooking drove me crazy!" Dean joked as he immediately went to the fridge, looking for something to snack on. Not finding anything good to eat, he resorted to grabbing two cans of beer.

"So, how'd it go while I was gone?" Dean asked as he offered one of the cans to Sam.

"Good." Sam answered, reaching his hand up for the beer but opting to set it down on the table beside him, not looking up from the laptop.

"Good? That's it?"

"You want minute by minute details?" Sam asked, forcing a smile as he quickly stole a glance up at Dean, then immediately returned his eyes downward. "Yeah, good. Everything was good."

Dean plopped down on the couch next to Sam and, pretending not to notice the lack of eye contact, opened his beer and took a big gulp from it.

"What did you do on your first big day all by yourself? Did you watch some porn?"

Sam sighed. "Dean, please. So, you got the part for Bobby okay?"

"Yeah, everything went fine. I was in and out of there in no time. Even hit a quick drive thru for a burger on the way home, although it couldn't compare to that beautiful steak that guy had."

"Let it go." Sam replied as he continued typing the keys on the laptop.

Dean was quiet for a moment while he watched Sam.

"What's so interesting on the laptop?"

"Nothing. Just downloading some music."

Dean nodded then looked around the house. Everything looked in order, but something in Dean's gut told him that something was wrong.

"You sure everything went okay here?"

Sam sighed again, growing agitated. "Yes, everything's fine. Stop hovering over me."

"Fine. Don't be so bitchy." Dean stood up and looked out the window. "Has Bobby called?"

"No, not yet."

"Hmmm, I wonder how he's doing with Rufus?"

Sam shrugged as he continued on the laptop.

Dean noticed Sam's sandwich still setting on the coffee table.

"Didja' lose your appetite?"

Sam stopped typing for a minute. "What?"

"The turkey sandwich. You hardly even took a bite of it."

Sam looked toward the coffee table. "Oh, yeah. I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach."

"So that means you haven't eaten anything all day? You seemed pretty hungry when you were making it. What made you change your mind?"

Sam shrugged again, wishing Dean would just drop the subject. He pretended to be very uninterested in the conversation. "Nothing. Just not hungry."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "You feeling alright?"

Sam was just about to open his mouth with an objection to all the questions, when he thought better of it.

"To be honest with you," Sam lied, "I've got a headache and don't feel all that great. I didn't want to admit it, but maybe it did stress me out a little to be by myself today. It went fine, but I'll have to adjust to it, okay Dean? Enough with the interrogation already."

Dean leaned back against the window pane and folded his arms across his chest. He nodded slowly.

"Sam, look at me."

Sam swallowed hard, but managed to look Dean in the eye, if only for a moment. Sam tried as best he could, but his stare just refused to stay locked on his brother. His eyes darted back and forth from the floor to Dean's jacket to his eyes then back to the floor...Sam could feel his face getting hot as he waited to hear what Dean had to say.

Dean studied Sam. Something had spooked him, but he couldn't tell what it was and by the sounds of things Sam wasn't willing to tell him. Dean contemplated pushing the issue, but at the last minute decided against it.

"You don't look very good, either." Dean observed. "But you are going to eat something, even if it's just some toast. You've gotta keep your strength up."

Sam's eyes narrowed a little. Had he really pulled off the lie or could Dean see right through him? Either way, it seemed he was getting away with it for the time being. The thought of food in his nauseous stomach was almost enough to make him gag, but he decided he'd better choke down some toast to keep Dean's suspicion from getting worse.

Dean watched as Sam got up from the couch and popped a slice of bread into the toaster. Yup, Sam's body language was practically screaming that something was wrong…..running his hand through his hair, wiping his palms together, pacing….all signs of nervousness. Dean wanted to know why, but opted to just observe him for the next few days to see if it truly was just a reaction to Sam's being left alone for the first time in a month.

Sam slept a lot the following day, making Dean wonder if he had, in fact, caught some type of flu bug. When Sam was awake, he seemed distant and distracted, as if his mind was somewhere else.

Bobby had returned from helping Rufus in the wee hours of the morning, and even Bobby had woken up the following day before Sam. Dean had cracked Sam's door open a few times to check on him, each time finding Sam sound asleep. Dean figured it was good that he was getting the rest he needed, if it was indeed a virus he was fighting off. He just hoped that Sam would be back on his feet soon. With everything that Sam had been through, it made Dean all the more nervous seeing him not feeling well.

O

Sam hated being deceitful. He hated lying to Dean and keeping things from him, but faking an illness was the only way that Sam could be sure he would have some time alone to think about what he was going to do. If Dean thought he was sleeping, he would leave him alone, so each time Sam heard Dean at his door, he would close his eyes and pretend to be asleep.

The most ironic part of the whole thing was what Sam really wanted….needed, was to talk to Dean about what had happened the day before. He wished more than anything that he could ask Dean for his help in figuring out what they could do and work at it together. However, Sam knew that this simply wasn't possible. With the way Dean did not want Sam to use his abilities combined with Dean's hatred for Ruby, there was absolutely no way that Dean would ever allow Sam to go through with what Ruby had suggested. If this truly was the only way they could finally defeat Lilith, Sam couldn't risk Dean denying him the chance to do it.

So, as a last result, Sam saw no other alternate method than to continue to lie to Dean. It broke Sam's heart, as he would rather hurt himself than hurt Dean, but it simply had to be done. Sam consoled himself with the knowledge that he would be doing this so that he and Dean could finally be rid of Lilith, once and for all.

The next evening Sam lay awake in his bed, waiting for Ruby to come to his window.

As promised, once everyone else was asleep, Sam heard a tap on the glass and quickly rose from his bed to raise the window.

"Well aren't you just adorable in your jammie pants?" Ruby teased, a big smile on her face.

"Were you expecting me in a suit and tie at 1 a.m?" Sam answered, obviously not in the mood to play. "How did everything go with Lilith? Did she believe that Dean and I weren't here?"

"Hook, line and sinker." Ruby announced, "I can be very convincing when I set my mind to it. Sometimes I even amaze myself."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I guess that's one little worry I don't need to have for the time being."

A moment passed between them in silence, as if they both were waiting for the other to begin the conversation. Finally, Ruby spoke.

"So? I'm guessing by now you've had enough time to think about my plan. Is it a 'yes' or a 'no'?"

Sam's eyes darkened and he looked to the floor.

"The way I see it, I really don't have much choice."

Ruby shook her head. "Believe me, Sam, I've thought about this for many months now. There really isn't any other way to take her out. There isn't a demon or human out there with the kind of juice it would take to knock Lilith out of the picture. You are a human with psychic abilities who also has demon blood pumping through his veins. If there were anyone else in the world like you, I would be having this conversation with them instead."

Sam bowed his head in shame.

"Yeah, I'm a one of a kind freak, alright."

Ruby touched her hand to Sam's, trying to be consoling.

"No, Sam. What you are is a very special, very important, very powerful human being, you just don't know it yet. Once you realize what you can accomplish with the gifts you've been given, the possibilities for you will be limitless. I promise."

"How?" Sam questioned. "We don't even know if I still have any powers at all. There's been no sign of them for so long, and even when I had them, they controlled me, I didn't control them."

Ruby smiled and took Sam's hand in hers.

"Come with me. We will have a first short lesson tonight. We'll stay very close to the house. In fact, we won't even leave the property. We'll be out behind Bobby's garage where we can be sure we won't be seen or heard." She gave his arm a tug, prompting him to follow. "C'mon, let's get started. No harm will come to you, trust me."

'Trust me,' Sam thought, 'Yeah, since demons have always been so good to me in the past.'

He eyed Ruby for a while as the very last whispers of the voice in his head made one last attempt to prevent him from going through with this. Ultimately, Sam shook his head free of the whispers and followed Ruby out the window and across the yard to the garage.

O

It had been two months since Dean's trip to the auto parts' store, and Sam still hadn't admitted to him that anything unusual had taken place while he was gone. There were no signs of any foul play anywhere on Bobby's property, and all in all everything seemed fine.

After Sam's initial bout with not feeling well, Dean noticed that he made quite a comeback and was acting like he felt really good. Sam's appetite was almost insatiable now, eating up to five times a day. He was working out a lot, sometimes for hours at a time and was beginning to bulk up in the muscle department. For the first time since his return home, Sam was finally beginning to look healthy.

But the biggest difference Dean noticed about Sam was his self confidence. Sam had never been one to be very sure of himself. He's always been awkward and sometimes shy, but now that all seemed to be going away. Sam carried himself differently. All of a sudden, his shoulders seemed broader. He also stood up straighter, showing the full height of his large body, which he never did before.

This all made Dean very suspicious that something was happening inside Sam's head for him to make all these changes in his habits and behaviors, but again he had no idea what it was. Dean discussed this with Bobby, who was the only other person that had as much contact with Sam as he did.

Bobby leaned up against the picnic table as Dean made his case about Sam, who of course was still in the house.

"I'm telling ya, Bobby, something's going on with him. It's driving me crazy that I can't put my finger on what it is."

Bobby sighed and scratched his head.

"From what you're saying, it sounds like all the changes Sam's making are for the good, not the other way around. Maybe he's finally feeling safer, maybe he's just made up his mind that he's not going to live the rest of his life in fear. Whatever's gotten into him, it's making him a stronger person, and we've got to encourage that and do our best to support him. We want him to be stronger and healthier, don't we?"

Dean made a face at Bobby.

"Of course we do. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm just wondering where all this determination and strength is coming from, that's all. Hell, even before he was captured, he never had the drive and self discipline that he has now."

Bobby smiled.

"My guess would be one of two things. First, maybe he's just tired of being scared and being a victim….figures if he can get his strength back and then some he won't need to be afraid anymore."

Dean rolled his eyes and nodded, indicating that Bobby had a point.

"And the second guess?"

"My second guess is that he's had it up over his head with being held hostage in my house and finally wants to prove to you that he's strong enough to be let out."

Dean stood up straighter and took a step closer to Bobby, pointing his finger at him.

"You know, that's the other thing I was going to mention to you. Have you noticed that in the last two months Sam hasn't argued with me once about leaving the house? Not once! Now, tell me that doesn't sound fishy to you. Why is he suddenly content at being home all the time? He fought me tooth and nail about it before. Hell, he even tried to sneak out a few times."

Bobby took a sip of his beer.

"Yeah, I gotta admit you've got a point there. I've noticed that too."

Just then a voice behind them appeared.

"Maybe he's just tired of being shot down every time he asks."

Dean and Bobby turned around and were shocked to see Sam standing behind them.

Dean blinked in disbelief.

"Sam! What the Hell are you doing out here? Get your ass back in the house!"

Sam blew out a puff of air as a retort.

"See? Why should I keep asking you when all I get is a flat out 'no'?" He held his arms up in question. "What exactly am I hiding from, Dean? There's nothing out here waiting for me."

Dean advanced on Sam, grabbing him by the arm and turning him back toward the house.

"We don't know that for sure, Sam. Now I said get back in the house, and I mean NOW!"

Sam pulled his arm out of Dean's grip.

"No." he answered.

"Sam, I said NOW!" Dean again grabbed Sam's arm, holding tight enough that Sam couldn't easily pull away.

"I'm through with hiding, Dean. If there's something out here that wanted me, it would've attacked by now. It's been three months! Enough is enough!"

Bobby could sense this argument wasn't going to end well and he tried to intervene.

"Okay that's enough, both of you. Now, Sam, let's just go in for a minute and we can discuss this. You've made some good points and I promise we'll listen. Dean, let's not turn this physical. Let your brother go."

Dean opened his hand and released Sam's arm. He did, however, give Sam a push toward the house, prompting him to obey the order Bobby had given him.

Sam, however, had a different idea.

"Bobby, there's nothing we need to discuss inside that we can't out here. I'm not going back in there until I choose to do so."

Bobby sighed and dropped his head to his chest. As usual that one was going to be stubborn.

Dean's face flushed in anger.

"Oh, is that so, tough guy? Well I'm guessing you're going to choose to go inside right now, or so help me I will kick your ass to the house myself. You've got 'til the count of three…..One…."

Sam could feel his initial anger giving away to fear as Dean began to count. He had made a stand against Dean and as usual Dean wasn't having any of it, and Sam knew that ultimately he wouldn't stand a chance against his big brother. Dean would always have the upper hand on him.

"Two…."

Sam's jaw clenched tight and his eyes became tiny slits.

"Fine. I'm going."

Sam led the way to the house with Dean and Bobby close behind him. Sam entered the kitchen and practically threw himself down in a chair at the table, waiting for Dean's lecture to begin. He didn't need to wait long at all.

"Damn it, Sam." Dean began as he paced back and forth in front of him.

Before Dean could say another word, Sam interjected.

"How about you give me a date as to when I can leave the house? I think I've been patient enough, and I've done everything you've asked of me. I want out…..I need out! My sanity is on the line here."

Dean took a few deep breaths and brought his hands up to his face, trying to calm down and think things through before answering Sam.

Bobby, as usual, tried to mediate.

"That sounds fair enough. Dean, I think we should all try to keep cool heads about this and come up with a game plan. You know as well as I do that it's been more than long enough. Sam can't stay here forever, and you just got done saying to me that he's been more than cooperative these past few months. Plus he really has been making some serious strides in his recovery."

Dean's shoulders slumped a little at the realization that Bobby was going to side with Sam. It was inevitable, really, and Dean was half expecting it to go that way. Deep in his heart, he knew they were both right.

"Okay, I'll tell you what. Why don't the three of us go out and get some dinner and a few drinks tonight. I know we could all use a night out, and I personally could use a few drinks." Dean looked back and forth between Sam and Bobby, "Sound fair?"

Sam's face lit up. Eagerly he nodded his head.

"Okay, then it's a plan. But…." He looked at Sam, directing his comment to him. "You have to promise that you will stay with either me or Bobby the whole time, you're not to leave our sight for even a minute, at least not your first time out. Got it?"

Sam's face darkened a little bit at the thought of having to have constant supervision, but it was the first real offer he'd had to be let out and he wasn't about to blow it.

"Fine. Tonight at dinner I'm a two year old. Got it."

This was a big first step for Sam. Although he had been secretly leaving the house every night to do training with Ruby, the thought of leaving the property completely excited him. He couldn't even remember the last time he had gone out to eat.

Also, he knew that by leaving tonight, it would open the door for Sam to be allowed to go out on his own after a while, and that would make it much easier to meet with Ruby, without having to sneak out of the house and risk having one of them notice he was gone.

Sam was getting much stronger, he could feel it. The training with Ruby was going so much better than he had ever expected it to, and tonight she was taking him to an abandoned warehouse to train against a real demon, tied and trapped by Ruby first, of course.

Later that evening at dinner, Sam found he was a little less confident than he expected to be, and was actually content to be in constant vision of either Dean or Bobby. When he had gone out on the property, he knew that the two demons that had been sent to watch for him had been killed, and each time he had left the house he was with Ruby, who could kick some serious ass herself.

Being out in the open like he was now, he suddenly felt vulnerable, and he hated the way that felt. He could tell by the way Dean and Bobby were acting that they felt the same way, so dinner wasn't quite as enjoyable as he'd planned. They all seemed preoccupied with looking over their shoulders the entire time. However, it was still great to get out, and Sam put on a very brave front so that Dean wouldn't have any reason not to let him come out with them again.

It was late when they got back to Bobby's, and Sam decided to turn in for the night. In reality he knew that Ruby would be at his window for him in a short amount of time, so he feigned being tired so he wouldn't miss her. Within the hour, Sam had crept out the window and was gone with Ruby.

Dean sat in the library, clueless to the fact that Sam was miles away. Bobby had just gone to bed, and Dean was just about to call it a night and turn in himself, when he heard a fluttering sound behind him. He turned to find Castiel. Dean instantly knew something was wrong, as Cas never showed up at this hour of the night for a casual visit. The look on Cas' face was also a dead give away.

Dean's gut knotted up as he confronted Cas.

"What is it? Just give it to me straight. I know you're gonna tell me something awful, I can feel it. Did the demons spot us while we were out tonight?"

Cas shook his head.

"I wish it were something that simple." He flatly stated. "No, this is much, much worse than that."

Dean could feel the air leaving his lungs.

"What is it, then?"

Cas looked at Dean sympathetically.

"There's no easy way to put this, so I'll just have to come out with it. Sam's not in his bed."

Dean gave Cas a look of confusion.

"What? No. I just saw him go in there. He didn't come back out."

Dean opened Sam's door, revealing that Sam was, in fact, gone. A look of panic swept over Dean's face.

"Oh my God! He's been taken again! How? The entire house is demon proofed. It's impossible…"

"No, Dean." Cas interrupted, "Sam hasn't been taken. He left out the window." He paused for a moment. "The same as he's done for two months now."

A flood of emotions flooded over Dean's face at this news. Panic, fear, confusion, denial, then finally rage.

"You're telling me that Sam's been sneaking out every night for two months?" Dean shouted. "For two months? Why are you just telling me now?"

Cas pursed his lips and looked downward.

"I know I should've told you sooner. You've every right to be upset. I've been very busy rescuing you from Hell, rescuing Sam from the lair, chasing down the demons who'd escaped Hell when you and your brother unlocked Hell's gate…..You know, it's a full plate, even for an angel, to keep a constant watch on the two of you."

Dean shook his head and then mock nodded in understanding at Cas.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. We've caused you some grief in the past. So where's Sam and what's he doing?"

Cas handed Dean a piece of paper.

"Here's the address where you'll find Sam. You'll be able to see for yourself what he's been doing."

Cas took a few steps away from Dean, getting ready to make his exit.

"Dean, you need to stop him from continuing with this 'training' any longer. You have to stop Sam….or we will."

The End.


End file.
